The Love Island launch show has reportedly been plunged into chaos after 50mph winds battered the show's South African villa.
The popular dating show returns to our screens tonight for a winter series, with new host Maya Jama at the helm. Ten stunning singletons will move into a luxury villa in South Africa, where they are hoping to find love.
Teasers ahead of tonight’s anticipated launch reveal that the 28-year-old takes a helicopter to the plush South African villa, which boasts an Olympic swimming pool and rugby pitch. However, it was a bit of a bumpy ride as her grand entrance was interrupted by the weather.
According to The Sun, strong winds made filming the show’s opening scenes difficult, and risked ruining Maya’s dramatic entrance. Luckily, they managed to film the presenter arriving by helicopter before the weather “caused mayhem”.
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A brief video clip released today of Maya in the villa shows that the winds are still present but have decreased dramatically from the recorded "50 mph" rates.
However, the Islanders were reportedly left shivering around the firepit, and the bad weather also affected everything from sound to lighting and cameras.
A source told The Sun: “ITV have big plans for this series to be more epic than ever, and were really excited about Maya’s big arrival on the helicopter so thank God that footage was all in the can before the winds crept up.”
“But by the time it came to filming in the evening it had really kicked up a gear. It caused mayhem. Every department was affected — sound, lighting, cameras, wardrobe.”
“The winds swept over the vast property’s gardens and pool as the crew fought for clear audio for the show’s much anticipated first episode. None of the Islanders expected to be shivering around the fire pit either, but it came into its own,” the insider added.
This year, for the first time ever, the cast will have to disable their social media accounts completely, in a move to protect both themselves and their loved ones.
In the past, islanders haven’t been able to access their accounts, but their family and friends have run them, engaging with viewers and also reminding fans to vote for their favourites.
Explaining the decision, ITV said they wanted accounts to be ‘dormant’ and nothing should be posted on people’s behalf so they could avoid ‘the adverse effects of social media’.
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