Love Island is back and don't worry, you haven't just slept through half of 2023. As well as another summer series this year, bosses over at ITV have rebooted the show's winter edition for only the second time after its first outing back in 2020 in the weeks before the pandemic.
But it's not just the timings that have changed. The summer version of the show is usually filmed in Mallorca but during this series, the islanders will be soaking up the sun in South Africa. For the next several weeks, the ITV2 dating show's latest batch of singletons will be residing in a huge £1.2 million villa in the wine region of Franschhoek - and it's pretty snazzy.
Surrounded by a beautiful backdrop of mountains, the Ludus Magnus villa boasts Olympic-size outdoor swimming pool, an outdoor gym, a wooden treehouse, a vineyard, a stage area and not forgetting the infamous firepit.
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And that's not the only change as Laura Whitmore isn't back to host the show. After announcing her departure from Love Island in August following the end of the 2022 summer series, those behind the show quickly snapped up self-confessed fan of the show, Maya Jama.
But what viewers will really want to know is who they'll be investing their time and interest into in the coming weeks and months. Among those entering the luxury villa and looking for love this year is Lana Jenkins.
The 25-year-old celebrity make-up artist from Luton will enter the winter Love Island villa alongside TV salesman Haris Namani, ring girl Olivia Hawkins, student Tanya Manhenga, hair stylist Tanyel Revan, administrator Anna-May Robey, teacher Kai Fagan, financial advisor Ron Hall, airport security officers Shaq Muhammad and farmer Will Young.
When revealed as one of the islanders, Lana was asked what her claim to fame is, to which she replied: "In my work as a makeup artist I’ve worked with lots of celebrities. Also, when I was six-years-old I used to live in Spain and I was in an episode of Benidorm as an extra."
But she also had a famous partner. Speaking of her romance with Hollyoaks actor Owen, who came second on I’m A Celeb in November, Lana said: "We had a lovely relationship. We had a bit of a lockdown relationship, so we spent a lot of time together.
"And then when we ended, we ended amicably, so I have nothing bad to say in terms of our relationship and the time that we spent together. I watched the [I’m A Celebrity] final and that was it because, obviously he got to the final, so that was amazing, and I thought I’d watch it out of support."
Lana also revealed that her work as a make-up artist to the stars means she has crossed paths with a number of famous faces including Michelle Keegan. The Brassic actress actually shared a message in support of Lana following her Love Island reveal. Sharing a post from the show's official account to her Instagram Story, Michelle, who stars as Erin Croft in the Sky Comedy, wrote: "So our girl @lanajenkinss is going into @loveisland," she wrote. "Genuinely one of the nicest girls you'll ever meet."
Adding words of encouragement Michelle, 35, from Stockport, told Lana: "Go and smash it darlin." And Lana returned the favour, saying the former Coronation Street star "is an absolute dream to work with." And it isn't just Michelle as Lana also appears to be close friends with former Hollyoaks actress Bethannie Hare.
As for why Love Island, and why now, Lana has said: "I’ve been single for quite a while, I’m normally a relationship type of person so the fact that I’ve been single for two, almost three, years is quite rare for me. Now’s the right time for me to be doing something a bit different. I’ve not been able to find anyone who suits me so it's good to do something totally different and try to meet someone a different way.
The new series is the show’s first winter series since before the coronavirus pandemic. New additions also include Made In Chelsea star Sam Thompson and Indiyah Polack, who was a finalist on the show last year, who are joining as regular panellists on Love Island’s Aftersun programme.
Love Island starts at 9pm Monday 16th January on ITV2 and ITVX.
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