ITV confirms return of Love Island after Covid cancellation

Love Island will return to ITV2 in 2021 after the summer series was cancelled last year because of the global pandemic.

The winter series of the dating show, which was due to air earlier this year, was also cancelled.

The show, now hosted by Laura Whitmore, has been a huge hit for ITV2 and the first winter series, filmed in South Africa, aired in early 2020.

ITV has now confirmed the seventh series of the show will go ahead later this year, but offered no details on where it will be filmed.

A summer series of Love Island was last broadcast in 2019 and was won by Amber Gill and Greg O’Shea, who are no longer dating.

It is usually filmed in a villa in Majorca but it is unclear if that will be the case this year.

Kevin Lygo, director of television at ITV, said last year that producers had looked into the possibility of filming the show “in Cornwall somewhere”, but had ruled it out as it would not “be the same show”.

It has previously been reported that the island of Jersey is being considered this year if it is not possible to film in Majorca.

Announcing ITV’s spring schedule, Lygo said: “There’s so much to look forward to on ITV this spring and into summer, with the Euros and the return of Love Island, but much more besides.

“Brilliant drama production teams have worked in the most challenging production conditions to bring these very different but equally strong series to air.”

The winter series of Love Island in 2020 was won by Paige Turley and Finley Tapp.

However, it was overshadowed when former host Caroline Flack took her own life on February 15 at the age of 40.

Episodes of the programme were pulled from the TV schedule following her death, but the series later resumed.

The show marked the anniversary of her death earlier this year, saying she is “always in our hearts”.