Love Island 2020 cancelled because of coronavirus

The upcoming series of Love Island has been postponed to next year because of coronavirus.
Demi Jones from Cosham (left) and George Day from Southampton both appeared in Love Island's winter series earlier this year. Picture: ITVDemi Jones from Cosham (left) and George Day from Southampton both appeared in Love Island's winter series earlier this year. Picture: ITV
Demi Jones from Cosham (left) and George Day from Southampton both appeared in Love Island's winter series earlier this year. Picture: ITV

The summer series of the ITV 2 dating show, which would have seen young single people couple up in a villa in Majorca, usually airs in the UK in June.

Kevin Lygo, director of television at ITV, said: ‘We have tried every which way to make Love Island this summer, but logistically it's just not possible to produce it in a way that safeguards the wellbeing of everyone involved - and that for us is the priority.

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‘In normal circumstances, we would be preparing very soon to travel out to the location in Majorca to get the villa ready, but clearly that's now out of the question.

‘We are very sorry for fans of the show, but making it safely is our prime concern and Love Island will be back stronger than ever in 2021.’

Laura Whitmore, who hosted the winter series of Love Island, tweeted: ‘Like with a lot of things because of restrictions with travel, social distancing and unable to plan ahead, Love Island is postponed until 2021. Great news is that there have been more applications then any other series! Next year is going to be BIG. Stay safe’.

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Last week, Lygo said he would feel ‘uneasy’ about airing the show, which sees singletons holed up in a villa together, while rest of the nation is being told to socially distance.

Speaking at a controller session at the Edinburgh TV Festival, he added that producers had looked into the possibility of filming the show ‘in Cornwall somewhere’, but added that they had ruled it out as not ’be the same show’.

‘And we don't want to not make the same show as we have made, because it's been so successful,’ he said.

The show has been a huge hit for ITV2 and the first winter series aired earlier this year, which was filmed in South Africa.

However, it was overshadowed by the death of former host Caroline Flack, who took her own life on February 15 at the age of 40.