THERE’S been so much drama on this year’s Love Island already – and most of it has all been thanks to the infamous Hideaway.
The intimate part of the villa – where the islanders can go and have some private time together – is usually reserved for the couples who’ve been together for at least a week.
But this year, for the first time in the ITV2 show’s history, it’s open 24 hours a day – and can be used by anyone.
In fact, the only people who’ve been in there so far have been islanders who AREN’T paired up – including Harriett Blackmore, who dragged celebrity bombshell Joey Essex in there to “make Ciaran Davies jealous”.
And it all kicked off in Thursday’s episode, as bombshell Uma Jammeh took Ayo Odukoya and Joey (again) in, leaving their girls Mimii Ngulube and Samantha Kenny in tears.
One Love Island star who knows all about the drama the Hideaway can bring is Laura Anderson, 35 – who was on the fourth series of the show.
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She and Wes Nelson became the first couple to go into the private room for some alone time, and snogged all night in her series.
But then Megan Barton-Hanson came in as a bombshell and swooped her man.
“The Hideaway being open 24/7 is just going to cause carnage,” Laura tells us. “Before it was so exclusive and it was supposed to be romantic and just for couples.
“It literally just causes drama by watching two people go in there, almost like the terrace does, as everyone associates the terrace with having a kiss.
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“But the Hideaway feels even more dramatic because of what it used to be known for, even though they could just be having an innocent chat.”
Laura thinks the Hideaway being open all hours will definitely encourage sex – but doesn’t think viewers will see too much of it, apart from the odd spanking from the whips that are provided in there.
She says: “ I think there always is sex, you just don’t see it. I think there’s definitely a lot that goes on.
“I’ve heard even recent islanders say there was a lot of it in their series but they just don’t show it.
“I suspect we’ll probably just see the fun flirty bits.
“I don’t really want to see the sex anyway – I know it’s on after 9, but there’s a lot of young people that watch this!”
Wishes she’d had 24/7 Hideaway
Aside from the romps, Love Island producers have said the Hideaway can be used for the times when islanders need to get away from the drama – which Laura wishes she’d had in her series.
She says: “I heard that people can go in there by themselves if they want a timeout, which I think is quite good for mental health reasons – but they’ve just not shown that yet.
“I do definitely think sometimes if anything goes wrong and you want to get away and just be by yourself and quiet for a minute, it would be nice to have that Hideaway.
“I’d have just been going in by myself and going in the Jacuzzi, like, ‘Right, too much drama, I’m off!’”
‘Love Island should be for girl-next-door’
As well as the new Hideaway rules, another twist in this series is the celebrity bombshells.
Former TOWIE star Joey’s entrance absolutely stunned the villa – and viewers – and Laura was pleasantly surprised it was kept a secret, even apparently from his cousin Chloe Sims.
And the next famous face heading in is Strictly star AJ Pritchard’s ex Abbie Quinnen.
Laura is in two minds about well-known stars being in the villa.
Love Island’s no longer sex-fuelled
Features writer and Love Island expert Hayley Minn reveals why Love Island has cut out the sex…
LOVE Island was once known as one of the raunchiest shows on TV – and the Hideaway was, by no means, the only place the islanders got it on.
In series two alone, Terry Walsh had sex with Malin Andersson and then Emma Woodham in front of all the other islanders in the bedroom, with Emma ON TOP of the sheets, Zara Holland performing a sex act on Alex Bowen on his first night in the villa, Rykard Jenkins – and Olivia Bowen (nee Buckland) having secret sex while Rykard’s girl Rachel Fenton slept soundly in the bed next to them.
Phew.
Even in 2019, Molly-Mae Hague and Tommy Fury were seen getting down and dirty, as Molly-Mae reached underneath the covers and was heard whispering: “It’s f***ing huge.”
However, when they went into the Hideaway, they were only shown for a couple of minutes, before the lights went out and they woke up the next morning.
And this was no accident.
At the time, a TV insider told The Sun: “There’s a few couples having sex in the villa but it hasn’t been shown on TV – bosses are worried about upsetting them and fear ruining their lives.”
There’s been noticeably less sex on Love Island ever since, with islanders, instead, using cheesy secret language to explain how far they’ve gone with each other – like going to the salon or scoring in football.
It’s unsurprising 2019 happened to be the year that Love Island got tame, as the series came just a few months after former islanders Mike Thalassitis and Sophie Gradon both tragically took their own lives.
And many islanders from earlier series have admitted having sex on TV damaged their future careers.
Former careers advisor Dom Lever is now married to Jess Shears, who he met on the show.
He has said: “My career was over [when I left the show]. I worked with children so I could never go back to that job after having sex on TV.”
Zara – who lost her Miss GB crown after her night of passion with Alex – has also said it “destroyed her life”
There’s no question that the islanders are still at it like rabbits – but it’s definitely for the best that we’re not seeing too much of it.
She says: “It’s difficult because Love Island has been on for 10 years now, and they’re always trying to shake things up, do twists and do things differently to surprise the viewer and keep us all entertained.
“But I do like the original idea of Love Island being for the girl-next-door or someone down the street.”
But, Laura believes having someone who’s already in the spotlight, like Joey, could help the islanders who haven’t previously experienced fame, like Samantha Kenny, who he’s currently coupled up with.
“It’s difficult for someone to go on Love Island and transition to a massive change of their lives when they come out,” Laura explains. “There’s a lot of pressure so I guess if some people had a bit of limelight before, they might be able to cope better with the attention or maybe even guide some of them in there.
“Joey is such a down-to-earth guy, and so sweet, welcoming and warm, and I don’t think he’d make anyone feel different in there.
“But I hope the girls are in it for the right reasons, and the original islanders don’t just want to be with that person because they’re famous.
“That would not be great, but you can always see through these things.”
Turned down All Stars
Laura will be regularly interviewing other Love Island stars on her Capital Scotland radio show – and says she often feels like she can give advice to some of the more recent islanders.
She says: “If someone has gone through a tough time in any way, Love Island is always something that you can relate back to and reminisce about together, and help them if it’s to do with media or trolling.
“I think the new people coming out will realise your life does change very quickly and they won’t be used to people having an opinion or thinking that they know them.
“The newer ones, you can tell, might not seem as relaxed at a big event, and I’m definitely always one of the people that wants to go over and be like, ‘Oh, it’s okay. Just enjoy. This is normal and don’t be nervous.’”
It’s not just with Love Islanders that Laura has become a mother figure, as she’s actually become a mum too, giving birth to Bonnie – who she shares with her ex Gary Lucy – in September last year.
Laura gushes: “Bonnie’s amazing. She’s just growing up really, really fast, and she’s just the sweetest little thing.
“She’s honestly, without sounding cheesy, the light of my life. I have so much fun and I just can’t wait to experience everything with her.
“Since being a mum, I feel more like me. I don’t know if it’s just her or being a mum in general, but I really enjoy being more present and it definitely makes you realise what is important in life and not really sweat the small stuff.”
And, while there were a few islanders with kids on the last series of Love Island: All Stars, don’t expect to see Laura on there any time soon.
She laughs: “Oh my god, imagine! No! What would I do with Bonnie? Where would I put her? She’d need to come with me!”
Laura then confesses: “The producers actually called me for the last series, when she was just born.
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“I was like, ‘Are you actually asking me this right now? What am I supposed to do with my child? I’m still breastfeeding!’”
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Hayley Minn
