New Love Island contestants will be trained to spot controlling and coercive behaviour

2022-12-30

Love Island contestants will be trained in spotting “controlling and coercive behaviour” as part of a new set of welfare measures set to be put in place from January’s series.

The winter version of the programme is set to return to ITV in January 2023 and will see new Islanders try to find love in a villa in South Africa.

Show bosses have announced a series of duty of care measures ahead of the new show, including training around mutually respective behaviour in relationships.

ITV has confirmed that participants will be offered resources to help them "identify negative behaviours in relationships" and "understand the behaviour patterns associated with controlling and coercive behaviour".

In a change for 2023, the Islanders will also have their social media accounts ‘paused’ while they are in the villa, rather than being managed by family and friends during their time on the show.

The show has confirmed that contestants will also continue receive training and guidance covering inclusive language around disability, sexuality, race and ethnicity, and microaggressions.

There will also be support on things such as social media trolling, how to cope with being filmed around the clock and what to expect from life outside the villa following the show.

Dr Paul Litchfield, who worked with ITV on their new welfare programme, said: “The Duty of Care arrangements for Love Island continue to evolve in the light of advances in scientific knowledge and awareness of the pressures young people face in establishing healthy relationships.

"That culture of continuous improvement ensures that Islanders are well placed to benefit from their experience of participating in one of the UK’s most popular TV shows.”

The new welfare offering follows criticism of some Islanders’ behaviour on the show over recent years, with domestic abuse charity Women’s Aid confirming in July that it had discussions with ITV after the charity was inundated with posts flagging the “misogynistic and controlling” behaviour during last summer’s series.

The start of the winter series is just days away with a new villa and new presenter set to shake things up in the first series of 2023.

Laura Whitmore, the former Love Island presenter, announced she would be leaving the show in August, with it later confirmed that Maya Jama would be stepping into the Love Island hosting shoes.

Contestants will look for love in a new luxurious villa in South Africa, complete with its own running track and an Olympic-sized swimming pool.

Islanders will have to fight for love at the palatial property, which is named Ludus Magnus after the Ancient Roman gladiator school.

The sprawling 25-acre estate also boasts football and rugby pitches for islanders to train on, as they get hot and heavy in the new series.

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