Here’s how the Love Island smoking ban will work
Smokers will have to go to a separate area at the front of the villa to light up this year, after the show was accused of glamorising the habit in the last series
There were so many complaints about Love Island contestants lighting up in last year’s series that a ‘smoking ban’ has been introduced.
Islanders will still be permitted to smoke, but not inside the villa or in the garden, ITV2 bosses have explained.
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“More than 50% of complaints about the show were about people smoking,” said head of ITV2 Paul Mortimer, “and because they’re a very sexy cast in a very sexy environment on a sexy channel, it made smoking look glamorous and Ofcom took a view that it was unacceptable…
“This year, we’ve got in place a plan for the smoking area to be outside the villa rather than outside the garden.”
Managing director at ITV Studios Entertainment Angela Jain added: “We are treating it like smoking in a workplace. Everyone’s used to it at home – you can’t smoke in a restaurant, you can’t smoke at home. So we just created a very clear separate area at the front of the villa.
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“There will be a camera on it but it won’t be as attractive a place to go into a huddle and have a conversation.”
Love Island begins on Monday 4th June at 9pm on ITV2
