Love Island's Gemma Owen may be 'overstepping' the mark with Casa Amor boy Billy Brown, according to a dating and relationship expert.
The daughter of footballing legend Michael Owen has been with Luca Bish since week one of the ITV2 dating show, but the return of Billy to the main villa appears to have exposed some cracks in their coupling.
Dr Callisto Adams, PhD certified dating and relationship expert, has said Gemma is enjoying the attention from playful Billy and her 'defensive response' to Luca when probed about their friendship has meant he can't broach the topic again freely.
Meanwhile, despite a heated row between Ekin-Su Cülcüloglu and Davide Sanclimenti on Wednesday night over her conversations with newcomer Adam Collard, the doctor believes they are the strongest pair of the season.
The expert has also lifted the lid on what she thinks about the reunion of Dami and Indiyah along with whether Adam has a chance with Paige Thorne following Jacques O'Neill's departure.
Speaking to Heart Bingo, Dr Adams has also outlined how harsh criticism from the public can impact relationships formed in the villa once they're on the outside.
In recent episodes we have seen Gemma and Billy getting closer which has irritated Luca. How do you deal with a situation when your partner is very friendly with someone of the opposite gender, and it makes you feel uncomfortable?
"You make a distinction on your partner’s behaviour - whether it is truly friendly, or if there are flirty moments along their behaviour - and think it through. See where this sensation of discomfort is coming from," Dr Adams, of hetexted, advises.
"Is it inner insecurities or is it genuinely your partner crossing lines?
"In the case of Gemma and Luca, I think that she may be slightly crossing some boundaries which has given Luca enough reason to feel uncomfortable.
"Although he addressed it, Gemma shut the conversation by categorically denying that there is nothing more than friendship between her and Billy.
"Her behaviour around Billy has some flirty nature to it.
"Billy keeps going around her and she enjoys the attention. Her reaction to Luca addressing the situation could also be seen as a defensive response, which automatically prevents Luca from freely addressing it again.
"Luca needs to say what his boundaries are and be clear and explicit with Gemma."
If Dami and Indiyah recouple, do you think they’ll last?
"Surprisingly, this connection seems promising. Despite Dami’s past behaviour, this time he seems to be making improvements in his behaviour and communication," Dr Adams says.
"If Dami keeps this ‘letting down my guard for Indiyah’ behaviour, I think they will last a long time, and their relationship will grow beautifully."
Who do you think is the strongest couple now?
"Most of the couples seem to be standing on shaky grounds at the current moment," Dr Adams notes.
"However, I sense that Ekin-Su and Davide have a solid and strong connection. This will help them build a stronger foundation and stay together as a couple."
We saw the return of Adam Collard this week – has he got a chance of finding love with his reputation?
"Now Jacques has left, maybe this will give Adam the green light to go for Paige, who's technically the only single girl in the villa now," Dr Adams says.
"Paige was really upset with Jacques' departure, but she has previously said Adam ticks all of her boxes so it will be interesting to see how Adam plays it with his past experience.
"Whether Adam has a chance of finding love or winning the show entirely depends on how he behaves this time.
"Although entering the show with an existing bad reputation may be quite difficult, the girls don't seem to be bothered about that.
"Going off their first conversation together, it seems likely Paige will open herself up to Adam, but whether a real connection grows is yet to be determined."
We have seen a few couples break up shortly after appearing on the show, especially when couples have received harsh criticism from the public. Do relationships suffer when there's negative media scrutiny?
"Absolutely. Subconsciously we care about what society has to say about us.
"We’re programmed to be social beings and having a negative status in society sends our brain a ‘danger’ signal.
"This automatically affects relationships as well. On one hand, it can seem like a challenge for the couple to go through it as “Us against the world”.
"On the other hand, mass amounts of negative attention can affect how individuals view themselves and affect how they treat their partners."
Which couples do you want to see in the final? Have your say in the comment section below.
Love Island continues tonight on ITV2 at 9pm.
