Love Island 'stars are secretly allowed to leave the villa one day a week without being filmed', says former contestant

Chris Williamson has spoken about the show
Love Island: Chris Williamson, who appeared on the show in 2015, has dished the dirt on some villa secrets
Instagram / Chris Williamson
Natasha Sporn11 June 2018

Former Love Island star Chris Williamson has revealed some “hidden secrets” of the ITV2 success, including the fact that contestants are given one day off of filming.

Williamson, who was the first boy in the villa on the rebooted 2015 series, has been spilling the behind-the-scenes gossip to ChronicleLive and on his own podcast.

Speaking to the publication, he said: “Once a week we were allowed to leave the villa and weren’t filmed so none of the viewers would ever know.

“There was a day every week when footage wasn't needed, which was liberating as you could talk about anything.”

In his podcast Modern Wisdom, available also on YouTube, he explained that in his year the live show was on a Thursday which allowed for a break day on Friday as less content needed.

Williamson also told the publication that while the show isn’t scripted, there is a “villa producer” who comes in to get the best out of storylines and drama.

He said: “At the end of the day, ITV2 need an hour of good TV every night.

“They can’t really wait weeks for people in there to make a move or address certain things. That said, what you see on screen is an accurate portrayal of what goes on.”

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Williamson, who spent three weeks in the villa during series one, also admitted that they never knew what time of day it was as even the car clocks and watches get changed when they left the villa.

ITV responded to Williamson’s comments in a statement, saying: “Occasionally in the past, some Islanders have been taken out of the villa - for example last year all of the girls were taken out for beauty treatments - but this is at the producers’ discretion and it is very much done on an ad hoc basis (as opposed to a set day each week).

“The majority of the dates, which are filmed, take place away from the villa.”

Love Island continues Monday at 9pm on ITV2.

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