Stay with me on this one. At face value, showing young, impressionable students a bunch of fame-hungry, rather image-obsessed Gen Z’ers hooking up and breaking up with each other in swift fashion may not seem like the best idea.
However, the discussions Love Island provokes are essential given the current climate of #MeToo and #TimesUp. We need to discuss what behaviour is acceptable and what behaviour is not. And it’s teenagers who desperately need these open conversations.
Watching Love Island over the years has made me realise that the show could be used as the most brilliant and effective tool for educating students on points like sexual consent, whether it’s ever ok to call girls “slags”, if a contestant’s behaviour is indeed emotionally abusive, and generally exploring what is acceptable, respectful and healthy behaviour when it comes to dating.
From trends like ghosting to the slightly older phenomenon of sexting, there’s hardly any accountability in dating at the moment. But if teachers showed Love Island in class and went on to discuss and explore morals, values and ethics afterwards, it would be a great way of creating a conversation about how we should conduct ourselves when it comes to dating and relationships.
1/62 Love Island’s Ovie kisses new girl India
Love Island’s Ovie kisses new girl India on the terrace after stealing her from Chris in last nights show.
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2/62 Lucie trying – and failing – to make ‘bev’ happen
Love Island is known for adding new slang to the British lexicon, but 21-year-old Lucie’s firm insistence that ‘bev’ means a hot man failed to catch on.
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3/62 Amber’s anti-chemistry with Callum
Straight-talking Amber quickly made mincemeat of Callum, the first boy she coupled up with. After correcting him when he said he looked younger than his 28 years, she confirmed it was his wrinkles which were aging him. She would go on to diss his sunglasses before ditching him for Anton during the next coupling.
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4/62 Tommy’s Hannah Montana obsession
Sensitive boxer Tommy has been vocal about his love for Miley Cyrus’ teen sitcom since day one. His fandom reached new heights when he serenaded Curtis with a rendition of her hit song ‘The Climb’ to illustrate his path to winning Lucie’s heart. Aww.
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5/62 The Joe-Tommy-Lucie love triangle
Blonde surfer Lucie was an instant hit in the villa, with almost every boy trying a cheeky graft. She seemed torn between Tommy and Joe, who each went nuclear in their attempt to woo her. Tommy pledged that he would crawl to the moon and back for her after knowing her for around 24 hours. Despite this, Joe’s jealous moping eventually won out.
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6/62 Anton’s unique seduction techniques
The confident Scotsman’s seduction skills manage to be both slippery smooth yet wildly erratic. His mile-a-minute chat has failed to land with any of the Love Island ladies, leading his to receive a cold shoulder from from Lucie, Anna and Mollie Mae.
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7/62 The cowboy challenge
The raunchy challenge saw the boys strip down to chaps and speedos before hopping on a bucking bronco and getting covered in paint splatter. Performances ranged from smooth (Michael and Sherif) to deeply awkward (Callum and Joe).
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8/62 Curtis friendzones Mollie Mae
Amy had a minor wobble when newcomer Mollie Mae picked her man Curtis to join her for a date in the hot tub. She shouldn’t have worried: Curtis firmly friendzoned Mollie Mae and settled in for a gossip about his fellow housemates instead.
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9/62 Anton is disappointed
Anton seemed confident at the first recoupling that pharmacist Anna would choose him. His confident smile on hearing Anna compliment her mystery love’s body quickly turned into disappointment when he realised she had been talking about Sherif.
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10/62 Calum leaves the villa
The aircraft engineer barely seemed to grace our screens before he was ejected after Mollie Mae chose to couple up with Tommy.
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11/62 Tommy makes his first cup of tea
Tommy shocked the nation when he revealed he didn’t know how to make a cup of peppermint tea. With a lot of coaching from Sherif, the boxer managed to impress Mollie Mae without her realising the truth.
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12/62 Tommy convinces himself he made an omelette
Encouraged by his success, Tommy tried to step up his culinary game by impressing Mollie Mae with a breakfast omelette (with Curtis doing the actual cooking.) Tommy even seemed to convince himself that he cooked the omelette, although he was rumbled after Sherif let slip who really made it.
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13/62 Yewande’s quest for love
Gorgeous scientist Yewande had been unlucky in love in the villa – until she was picked for a date by newcomer Danny. The rest of the Islanders encouraged her fledgling romance, from putting in a good word with Danny to criticising Mollie Mae’s attempt to woo the new boy for herself.
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14/62 Sherif’s mystery departure
Nine days into the series Love Island bosses confirmed that Sherif had been suddenly ejected from the show after “breaking the villa rules.” The 20-year-old confirmed his departure was due to his “poor judgement”, but it remains unknown which rule he broke.
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15/62 Curtis and Amy become a half-couple
Amy may have never had a boyfriend before, but she was the first girl to make it official in the villa – sort of. During a date in the hideaway, Curtis asked her to become exclusive, which ended up with her getting the very high school label of ‘half-girlfriend.’
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16/62 Amber opens up
Amber gained a reputation for withering looks and cutting putdowns, but one man was able to get past her icy exterior. Firefighter Michael proved he could take her self-proclaimed diva attitude, and was rewarded – on the second try – with a kiss.
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17/62 Anton’s bad chat gets worse
With Sherif out the villa, Anton resumed his moves on Anna. This time, it went even worse than before, with the Scotsman inadvertently comparing her with Mollie Mae, calling Anna beautiful ‘on the inside’. He thought the chat went well; a dressing down from Amber and Michael soon put him in his place.
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18/62 Tommy’s romantic meal
Tommy was tasked with making a starter for his date with new girl Maura. “I’ve never put so much effort into cheese in my life,” he said, as he carved out lovehearts from limp sliced cheddar. The result, two slices of ketchup and mayo-smeared white bread, proved that Maura’s continuing lust for the 20-year-old boxer is made of powerful stuff.
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19/62 The girls freak out over Maura and Elma
Amber, Yewande and Mollie Mae watched their respective partners meet the new girls from the balcony. “Confident sh*ts,” fumed Amber, while Mollie made fun of their flirty laughter.
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20/62 Michael confronts Amber
Michael brands Amber’s behaviour as “childish” after the beauty therapist heckled his date with Maura.
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21/62 Tommy and Mollie Mae fight
Mollie Mae wasn’t happy when Tommy seemed interested in new girl Maura, and wasn’t afraid to let the boxer know how she felt.
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22/62 Amy and Lucie fall out
Lucie tearfully stood up for herself after Amy accused her of not spending enough time with the girls. Is Lucie just not a girl’s girl, or did Amy drive her away?
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23/62 Maura gets a rise out of Tommy
Maura had her sights set on the 20-year-old boxer from the start, and things got steamy when she got him into bed. Her straight-up seduction techniques proved a bit too exciting for Tommy, who got a little hot and bothered under the covers. Just wait until he sees her eat an ice lolly…
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24/62 Maura’s infamous kisses
Maura went full factor 50 on Tommy when she ambushed him on the sofa. Tommy put his boxing training into practice as he dodged her kisses, while a jealous Mollie Mae watched on from behind a potted plant.
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25/62 Jordan and Tom enter the villa
After being the only two girls not picked for recoupling, Anna and Maura got to go on a date with the new boys: 29-year-old Tom and 24-year-old Jordan.
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26/62 Joe and Elma leave the villa
The islanders voted for the couple they thought was least compatible, leaving the Joe-Lucie and Anton-Elma couples vulnerable. The public voted off Joe and Elma, ending the tumultuous relationship between the surfer and the sandwich maker (and leaving Anton single once again).
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27/62 Anna and Jordan take it up a notch
Anna and Jordan sealed the deal with a sensuous kiss, with Anna later rating the model as a 10/10 kisser.
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28/62 Arabella arrives – and immediately shakes things up
After swearing to Yewande that a new girl wouldn’t turn his head, Danny was immediately smitten with fellow model Arabella after their flirty first date.
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29/62 Yewande lays it on with Danny
Sensing danger, Yewande made an effort to be more affectionate with Danny, kissing him in front of the rest of the islanders.
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30/62 Curtis makes a snogging faux pas
During a challenge, a blindfolded Curtis accidentally rated Arabella a 10/10 kisser, while giving his half-girlfriend Amy a measly seven. Amy was not happy, storming off followed by an apologetic Curtis.
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31/62 Arabella challenges Yewande
Arabella stirred the pot when she accused Yewande of being overly-possessive of Danny, telling her a few uncomplimentary remarks Danny had made about her to boot. A devastated Yewande soon realised that her fledgling romance was in serious jeopardy.
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32/62 Maura is livid at Tom
Maura’s carrot-swallowing skills won her first place during the gym bunny challenge, giving her a night in the hideaway as a prize. Maura chose Tom to join her, but things quickly went south after she overheard him brag to the boys about finding out whether or not the Irish beauty was “all mouth.” Tom got a scathing dressing down, and a night in the hideaway was firmly off the cards.
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33/62 Yewande leaves the island
Danny chose Arabella during a recoupling, leaving Yewande as the eliminated singleton. She was devastated to leave best mates Amber and Anna, but Danny was left with a scathing parting shot: “What goes around comes around.” Ouch.
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34/62 Danny faces the wrath of Amber
Amber was furious after watching Danny kiss Arabella the same night that Yewande left the villa. She had some choice words for the model, although Danny stayed calm and collected during the confrontation.
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35/62 Curtis and Tommy share an intimate moment
After declaring how much their friendship meant to each other, Tommy and Curtis shared the season’s first bromance kiss. Perhaps if they ditched their girlfriends, Turtis could go all the way to the £50k?
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36/62 Twitter shakes things up
During a challenge which saw the islanders read the public’s tweets, some couples were left seriously shaken. Amy was called out for making Curtis feel “in the wrong,” Lucie and Tommy were named as a good potential couple and Mollie Mae was accused of faking her relationship with Tommy for the prize money.
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37/62 Mollie Mae worries about Lucie
The Twitter challenge made Mollie Mae re-examine Tommy’s close friendship with Lucie. After a chat with Mollie Mae, the boxer told Lucie they should stop being so affectionate with each other. A disgruntled Lucie complained about the new “rules” imposed on her, while also refusing to rule out a potential relationship with Tommy during a chat with the girls.
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38/62 Maura confronts Tom – again
Maura wasn’t happy to hear that Tom had called her “attention-seeking” and “cringey” behind her back. She stormed over and confronted him, later making it clear he had blown his second chance.
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39/62 Arabella and Tom get dumped from the island
After four couples were left vulnerable following a public vote, the three safe couples decided that Arabella and Tom should be the pair to leave the villa. Maura comforted a devastated Danny, but didn’t appear to be that heartbroken about losing Tom.
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40/62 Lucie confesses her feelings for Tommy
Encouraged by Anton, Lucie revealed to Tommy that she would be interested in rekindling their romance. Tommy told her he was happy with Mollie Mae, and later told Mollie about Lucie’s confession, leading Mollie to brand the Cornish surfer “muggy” for not coming to her first.
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41/62 The girls take a holiday to Casa Amor
Six new boys entered the game when the girls took a trip to Casa Amor. A thrilled Maura took an instant liking to Dennon, while 6ft 7in basketball player Ovie immediately cracked on with Anna, leaving her relationship with Jordan in jeopardy.
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42/62 Six new girls cause the boys to have doubts
Back at the villa, heads were also turning at the arrival of six new girls. Jordan flirted with Jourdan, Anton shared a bed with Belle and Danny seemed ready to move on from his Arabella heartbreak. Michael and Curtis began to question their own seemingly-solid partnerships, thanks to pretty newcomer Joanna. Anton remained hopeful about his odds of finally finding love: “I’ve got six new chances to not get pied.”
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43/62 Curtis tells Jourdan he wants to recouple with her
Curtis took a risk and laid it all out to Jourdan, telling her he would choose to recouple with her over Amy. Smitten with Danny, Jourdan politely brushed him off: “Stay loyal to the situation you’re in now, because I need you as a friend,” she said.
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44/62 Michael kisses Joanna
Michael and Amber’s romance appeared dead in the water as Michael finally made his move on new girl Joanna.
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45/62 Amy confesses she has fallen in love with Curtis
While away in Casa Amor, flight attendant Amy revealed to Mollie Mae that she had fallen in love for the first time: “[Curtis] is my absolute favourite person,” she gushed, revealing that their time apart had made her realise her feelings for him. Over in the villa, Curtis was crediting their time apart for a very different realisation: that their relationship had serious issues, and he might not be totally into her. Yikes.
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46/62 There were some awkward recouplings after Casa Amor…
Amy was thrilled that Curtis had chosen to recouple with her – although she was soon to find out that he had made a move on another girl and told everyone that their relationship needs work. Michael recoupled with Joanna, leaving Amber single – and absolutely fuming. Poor Jordan saw Anna return with basketball player Ovie, although she was more apologetic about it than Michael.
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47/62 … Although romance isn’t quite dead
Mollie Mae collapsed into relieved tears when she saw Tommy waiting for her, holding her favourite stuffed elephant toy Ellie-Belly. Anton finally found himself in a romantic couple with Belle, Lucie coupled with new blonde bombshell George and Maura seemed keen on sensitive Marvin.
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48/62 Michael and Curtis catch some serious heat
After seeing Amber in tears, Anna went straight for Michael’s jugular, accusing him of leading Amber on by not communicating his doubts about their relationship earlier. Michael went on the defensive, calling Anna and Amber “childish.” Meanwhile a tearful Amy gave Curtis a dressing down for making moves on Jourdan: “Do you know how worthless this makes me feel?”
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49/62 Maura serves some cold, hard truth
While Amy was discussing her drama with Curtis to Maura and Lucie, she seemed on the verge of forgiveness: “I love him,” she said. A doubtful Lucie interjected: “But does he love you?” A furious Maura took a less subtle approach: “Why are you asking her that? He doesn’t!”
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50/62 Lucie tells Tommy she has feelings for him – again
After Tommy took Lucie aside to check they were still friends, she confessed she’s still attracted to him, wishes she had chosen him over Joe and was thinking about him the whole time she was in Casa Amor. Once again, Tommy brushed her off saying he was still smitten with Mollie Mae – perhaps third time lucky, Lucie?
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51/62 Tommy and Mollie Mae get serious
After the latest declaration from Lucie, Tommy reassured Mollie Mae by telling her how much he liked her. Mollie Mae confessed she could see herself falling in love with him, before Tommy admitted he was already falling.
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52/62 Anna and Jordan rekindle their romance
When Anna returned to the villa and saw Jordan was still single, she seemed to question her new romance with Ovie. After a few flirtations conversations with her old flame, she told Ovie that she and Jordan might not be over after all…
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53/62 Curtis and Amy break up
Amy was so determined to work out what had happened to suddenly derail her perfect half-relationship that she made a checklist to get to the bottom of it. But after a heartfelt chat, Curtis effectively ended things by telling Amy he couldn’t guarantee he would stay loyal to her.
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54/62 Maura reveals this years’ biggest plot twist
In a characteristically unpredictable move, Maura revealed to Lucie she had a crush – on the newly-single Curtis. “I want him to teach me how to dance,” she said, calling him “gorgeous”.
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55/62 A double dumping
Villa BFFs Maura and Lucie both grew tired of their Casa Amor romances, so agreed to tell the lads – as a group. George and Marvin were sat down and pied together, with Marvin reacting with outrage and George barely keeping a straight face.
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56/62 Anna chooses Jordan
Ovie may have seemed like her perfect man in Casa Amor, but Jordan caught Anna’s eye once again when she returned to the villa. Anna sat down for a chat with the laid-back basketball player, but things got heated quickly. Ovie stormed off before Anna headed up for a sneaky balcony snog with Jordan.
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57/62 Tommy pulls off the perfect proposal
Tommy decided it was time to ask Mollie Mae to be his girlfriend. As with cooking, writing isn’t Tommy’s strong point, so he enlisted Curtis to write him a love note in eyeliner (who knew there were no pens in the villa?) Mollie Mae found the note tied to her toy Elly Belly, and happily agreed to making things official with Tommy.
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58/62 The ‘travel agent’ strikes again
Not long after Danny coupled up with Yewande and Arabella the two girls were sent packing, leading presenter Iain Sterling to nickname Danny ‘the travel agent’ for his talent in sending girls to the airport. New partner Jourdan was the final girl to fall under Danny’s curse as the pair received the least votes, although this time Danny was booted from the villa too.
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59/62 Amy leaves on heartbreaking note
As she prepared to leave the villa, Amy took her ex Curtis aside for a chat. Days after Curtis had ended their relationship, she told him: “You turned my whole world around and turned it into some kind of craziness. All I’ve ever wanted is for you to be happy. And you’re not going to be able to be happy if I’m still here.” As Curtis broke down in tears, she continued: “I want us to be best friends and I want us to both find someone… I’m not going to be ready in the next three weeks to meet someone else.”
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60/62 Amber gets Michael’s pulse racing
He might be coupled up with Joanna, but it was Michael’s ex Amber who got his pulse racing fastest during the dirty dancing challenge. Amber was glad to hear it, saying: “”So now I’ve at least got something, I can’t just sit and mope around because I know I raised his heart rate the most!”
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61/62 Anton and Belle hit the rocks
She may have shaved his bum, but Belle reached breaking point after a series of slip-ups from Anton. She wasn’t happy that he kissed Anna in the Snog, Marry, Pie challenge, and a confrontation ended in a heated exchange at the nightclub
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62/62 Joanna and Michael say an awkward goodbye
After it was revealed that Joanna and Michael couldn’t stay in the villa together, their fellow Islanders chose to send Joanna packing. She was less than impressed with Michael after it became clear he wouldn’t follow her out of the door, refusing a hug and labelling him a “snake” for staying.
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1/62 Love Island’s Ovie kisses new girl India
Love Island’s Ovie kisses new girl India on the terrace after stealing her from Chris in last nights show.
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2/62 Lucie trying – and failing – to make ‘bev’ happen
Love Island is known for adding new slang to the British lexicon, but 21-year-old Lucie’s firm insistence that ‘bev’ means a hot man failed to catch on.
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3/62 Amber’s anti-chemistry with Callum
Straight-talking Amber quickly made mincemeat of Callum, the first boy she coupled up with. After correcting him when he said he looked younger than his 28 years, she confirmed it was his wrinkles which were aging him. She would go on to diss his sunglasses before ditching him for Anton during the next coupling.
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4/62 Tommy’s Hannah Montana obsession
Sensitive boxer Tommy has been vocal about his love for Miley Cyrus’ teen sitcom since day one. His fandom reached new heights when he serenaded Curtis with a rendition of her hit song ‘The Climb’ to illustrate his path to winning Lucie’s heart. Aww.
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5/62 The Joe-Tommy-Lucie love triangle
Blonde surfer Lucie was an instant hit in the villa, with almost every boy trying a cheeky graft. She seemed torn between Tommy and Joe, who each went nuclear in their attempt to woo her. Tommy pledged that he would crawl to the moon and back for her after knowing her for around 24 hours. Despite this, Joe’s jealous moping eventually won out.
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6/62 Anton’s unique seduction techniques
The confident Scotsman’s seduction skills manage to be both slippery smooth yet wildly erratic. His mile-a-minute chat has failed to land with any of the Love Island ladies, leading his to receive a cold shoulder from from Lucie, Anna and Mollie Mae.
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7/62 The cowboy challenge
The raunchy challenge saw the boys strip down to chaps and speedos before hopping on a bucking bronco and getting covered in paint splatter. Performances ranged from smooth (Michael and Sherif) to deeply awkward (Callum and Joe).
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8/62 Curtis friendzones Mollie Mae
Amy had a minor wobble when newcomer Mollie Mae picked her man Curtis to join her for a date in the hot tub. She shouldn’t have worried: Curtis firmly friendzoned Mollie Mae and settled in for a gossip about his fellow housemates instead.
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9/62 Anton is disappointed
Anton seemed confident at the first recoupling that pharmacist Anna would choose him. His confident smile on hearing Anna compliment her mystery love’s body quickly turned into disappointment when he realised she had been talking about Sherif.
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10/62 Calum leaves the villa
The aircraft engineer barely seemed to grace our screens before he was ejected after Mollie Mae chose to couple up with Tommy.
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11/62 Tommy makes his first cup of tea
Tommy shocked the nation when he revealed he didn’t know how to make a cup of peppermint tea. With a lot of coaching from Sherif, the boxer managed to impress Mollie Mae without her realising the truth.
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12/62 Tommy convinces himself he made an omelette
Encouraged by his success, Tommy tried to step up his culinary game by impressing Mollie Mae with a breakfast omelette (with Curtis doing the actual cooking.) Tommy even seemed to convince himself that he cooked the omelette, although he was rumbled after Sherif let slip who really made it.
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13/62 Yewande’s quest for love
Gorgeous scientist Yewande had been unlucky in love in the villa – until she was picked for a date by newcomer Danny. The rest of the Islanders encouraged her fledgling romance, from putting in a good word with Danny to criticising Mollie Mae’s attempt to woo the new boy for herself.
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14/62 Sherif’s mystery departure
Nine days into the series Love Island bosses confirmed that Sherif had been suddenly ejected from the show after “breaking the villa rules.” The 20-year-old confirmed his departure was due to his “poor judgement”, but it remains unknown which rule he broke.
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15/62 Curtis and Amy become a half-couple
Amy may have never had a boyfriend before, but she was the first girl to make it official in the villa – sort of. During a date in the hideaway, Curtis asked her to become exclusive, which ended up with her getting the very high school label of ‘half-girlfriend.’
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16/62 Amber opens up
Amber gained a reputation for withering looks and cutting putdowns, but one man was able to get past her icy exterior. Firefighter Michael proved he could take her self-proclaimed diva attitude, and was rewarded – on the second try – with a kiss.
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17/62 Anton’s bad chat gets worse
With Sherif out the villa, Anton resumed his moves on Anna. This time, it went even worse than before, with the Scotsman inadvertently comparing her with Mollie Mae, calling Anna beautiful ‘on the inside’. He thought the chat went well; a dressing down from Amber and Michael soon put him in his place.
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18/62 Tommy’s romantic meal
Tommy was tasked with making a starter for his date with new girl Maura. “I’ve never put so much effort into cheese in my life,” he said, as he carved out lovehearts from limp sliced cheddar. The result, two slices of ketchup and mayo-smeared white bread, proved that Maura’s continuing lust for the 20-year-old boxer is made of powerful stuff.
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19/62 The girls freak out over Maura and Elma
Amber, Yewande and Mollie Mae watched their respective partners meet the new girls from the balcony. “Confident sh*ts,” fumed Amber, while Mollie made fun of their flirty laughter.
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20/62 Michael confronts Amber
Michael brands Amber’s behaviour as “childish” after the beauty therapist heckled his date with Maura.
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21/62 Tommy and Mollie Mae fight
Mollie Mae wasn’t happy when Tommy seemed interested in new girl Maura, and wasn’t afraid to let the boxer know how she felt.
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22/62 Amy and Lucie fall out
Lucie tearfully stood up for herself after Amy accused her of not spending enough time with the girls. Is Lucie just not a girl’s girl, or did Amy drive her away?
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23/62 Maura gets a rise out of Tommy
Maura had her sights set on the 20-year-old boxer from the start, and things got steamy when she got him into bed. Her straight-up seduction techniques proved a bit too exciting for Tommy, who got a little hot and bothered under the covers. Just wait until he sees her eat an ice lolly…
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24/62 Maura’s infamous kisses
Maura went full factor 50 on Tommy when she ambushed him on the sofa. Tommy put his boxing training into practice as he dodged her kisses, while a jealous Mollie Mae watched on from behind a potted plant.
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25/62 Jordan and Tom enter the villa
After being the only two girls not picked for recoupling, Anna and Maura got to go on a date with the new boys: 29-year-old Tom and 24-year-old Jordan.
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26/62 Joe and Elma leave the villa
The islanders voted for the couple they thought was least compatible, leaving the Joe-Lucie and Anton-Elma couples vulnerable. The public voted off Joe and Elma, ending the tumultuous relationship between the surfer and the sandwich maker (and leaving Anton single once again).
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27/62 Anna and Jordan take it up a notch
Anna and Jordan sealed the deal with a sensuous kiss, with Anna later rating the model as a 10/10 kisser.
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28/62 Arabella arrives – and immediately shakes things up
After swearing to Yewande that a new girl wouldn’t turn his head, Danny was immediately smitten with fellow model Arabella after their flirty first date.
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29/62 Yewande lays it on with Danny
Sensing danger, Yewande made an effort to be more affectionate with Danny, kissing him in front of the rest of the islanders.
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30/62 Curtis makes a snogging faux pas
During a challenge, a blindfolded Curtis accidentally rated Arabella a 10/10 kisser, while giving his half-girlfriend Amy a measly seven. Amy was not happy, storming off followed by an apologetic Curtis.
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31/62 Arabella challenges Yewande
Arabella stirred the pot when she accused Yewande of being overly-possessive of Danny, telling her a few uncomplimentary remarks Danny had made about her to boot. A devastated Yewande soon realised that her fledgling romance was in serious jeopardy.
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32/62 Maura is livid at Tom
Maura’s carrot-swallowing skills won her first place during the gym bunny challenge, giving her a night in the hideaway as a prize. Maura chose Tom to join her, but things quickly went south after she overheard him brag to the boys about finding out whether or not the Irish beauty was “all mouth.” Tom got a scathing dressing down, and a night in the hideaway was firmly off the cards.
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33/62 Yewande leaves the island
Danny chose Arabella during a recoupling, leaving Yewande as the eliminated singleton. She was devastated to leave best mates Amber and Anna, but Danny was left with a scathing parting shot: “What goes around comes around.” Ouch.
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34/62 Danny faces the wrath of Amber
Amber was furious after watching Danny kiss Arabella the same night that Yewande left the villa. She had some choice words for the model, although Danny stayed calm and collected during the confrontation.
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35/62 Curtis and Tommy share an intimate moment
After declaring how much their friendship meant to each other, Tommy and Curtis shared the season’s first bromance kiss. Perhaps if they ditched their girlfriends, Turtis could go all the way to the £50k?
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36/62 Twitter shakes things up
During a challenge which saw the islanders read the public’s tweets, some couples were left seriously shaken. Amy was called out for making Curtis feel “in the wrong,” Lucie and Tommy were named as a good potential couple and Mollie Mae was accused of faking her relationship with Tommy for the prize money.
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37/62 Mollie Mae worries about Lucie
The Twitter challenge made Mollie Mae re-examine Tommy’s close friendship with Lucie. After a chat with Mollie Mae, the boxer told Lucie they should stop being so affectionate with each other. A disgruntled Lucie complained about the new “rules” imposed on her, while also refusing to rule out a potential relationship with Tommy during a chat with the girls.
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38/62 Maura confronts Tom – again
Maura wasn’t happy to hear that Tom had called her “attention-seeking” and “cringey” behind her back. She stormed over and confronted him, later making it clear he had blown his second chance.
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39/62 Arabella and Tom get dumped from the island
After four couples were left vulnerable following a public vote, the three safe couples decided that Arabella and Tom should be the pair to leave the villa. Maura comforted a devastated Danny, but didn’t appear to be that heartbroken about losing Tom.
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40/62 Lucie confesses her feelings for Tommy
Encouraged by Anton, Lucie revealed to Tommy that she would be interested in rekindling their romance. Tommy told her he was happy with Mollie Mae, and later told Mollie about Lucie’s confession, leading Mollie to brand the Cornish surfer “muggy” for not coming to her first.
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41/62 The girls take a holiday to Casa Amor
Six new boys entered the game when the girls took a trip to Casa Amor. A thrilled Maura took an instant liking to Dennon, while 6ft 7in basketball player Ovie immediately cracked on with Anna, leaving her relationship with Jordan in jeopardy.
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42/62 Six new girls cause the boys to have doubts
Back at the villa, heads were also turning at the arrival of six new girls. Jordan flirted with Jourdan, Anton shared a bed with Belle and Danny seemed ready to move on from his Arabella heartbreak. Michael and Curtis began to question their own seemingly-solid partnerships, thanks to pretty newcomer Joanna. Anton remained hopeful about his odds of finally finding love: “I’ve got six new chances to not get pied.”
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43/62 Curtis tells Jourdan he wants to recouple with her
Curtis took a risk and laid it all out to Jourdan, telling her he would choose to recouple with her over Amy. Smitten with Danny, Jourdan politely brushed him off: “Stay loyal to the situation you’re in now, because I need you as a friend,” she said.
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44/62 Michael kisses Joanna
Michael and Amber’s romance appeared dead in the water as Michael finally made his move on new girl Joanna.
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45/62 Amy confesses she has fallen in love with Curtis
While away in Casa Amor, flight attendant Amy revealed to Mollie Mae that she had fallen in love for the first time: “[Curtis] is my absolute favourite person,” she gushed, revealing that their time apart had made her realise her feelings for him. Over in the villa, Curtis was crediting their time apart for a very different realisation: that their relationship had serious issues, and he might not be totally into her. Yikes.
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46/62 There were some awkward recouplings after Casa Amor…
Amy was thrilled that Curtis had chosen to recouple with her – although she was soon to find out that he had made a move on another girl and told everyone that their relationship needs work. Michael recoupled with Joanna, leaving Amber single – and absolutely fuming. Poor Jordan saw Anna return with basketball player Ovie, although she was more apologetic about it than Michael.
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47/62 … Although romance isn’t quite dead
Mollie Mae collapsed into relieved tears when she saw Tommy waiting for her, holding her favourite stuffed elephant toy Ellie-Belly. Anton finally found himself in a romantic couple with Belle, Lucie coupled with new blonde bombshell George and Maura seemed keen on sensitive Marvin.
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48/62 Michael and Curtis catch some serious heat
After seeing Amber in tears, Anna went straight for Michael’s jugular, accusing him of leading Amber on by not communicating his doubts about their relationship earlier. Michael went on the defensive, calling Anna and Amber “childish.” Meanwhile a tearful Amy gave Curtis a dressing down for making moves on Jourdan: “Do you know how worthless this makes me feel?”
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49/62 Maura serves some cold, hard truth
While Amy was discussing her drama with Curtis to Maura and Lucie, she seemed on the verge of forgiveness: “I love him,” she said. A doubtful Lucie interjected: “But does he love you?” A furious Maura took a less subtle approach: “Why are you asking her that? He doesn’t!”
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50/62 Lucie tells Tommy she has feelings for him – again
After Tommy took Lucie aside to check they were still friends, she confessed she’s still attracted to him, wishes she had chosen him over Joe and was thinking about him the whole time she was in Casa Amor. Once again, Tommy brushed her off saying he was still smitten with Mollie Mae – perhaps third time lucky, Lucie?
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51/62 Tommy and Mollie Mae get serious
After the latest declaration from Lucie, Tommy reassured Mollie Mae by telling her how much he liked her. Mollie Mae confessed she could see herself falling in love with him, before Tommy admitted he was already falling.
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52/62 Anna and Jordan rekindle their romance
When Anna returned to the villa and saw Jordan was still single, she seemed to question her new romance with Ovie. After a few flirtations conversations with her old flame, she told Ovie that she and Jordan might not be over after all…
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53/62 Curtis and Amy break up
Amy was so determined to work out what had happened to suddenly derail her perfect half-relationship that she made a checklist to get to the bottom of it. But after a heartfelt chat, Curtis effectively ended things by telling Amy he couldn’t guarantee he would stay loyal to her.
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54/62 Maura reveals this years’ biggest plot twist
In a characteristically unpredictable move, Maura revealed to Lucie she had a crush – on the newly-single Curtis. “I want him to teach me how to dance,” she said, calling him “gorgeous”.
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55/62 A double dumping
Villa BFFs Maura and Lucie both grew tired of their Casa Amor romances, so agreed to tell the lads – as a group. George and Marvin were sat down and pied together, with Marvin reacting with outrage and George barely keeping a straight face.
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56/62 Anna chooses Jordan
Ovie may have seemed like her perfect man in Casa Amor, but Jordan caught Anna’s eye once again when she returned to the villa. Anna sat down for a chat with the laid-back basketball player, but things got heated quickly. Ovie stormed off before Anna headed up for a sneaky balcony snog with Jordan.
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57/62 Tommy pulls off the perfect proposal
Tommy decided it was time to ask Mollie Mae to be his girlfriend. As with cooking, writing isn’t Tommy’s strong point, so he enlisted Curtis to write him a love note in eyeliner (who knew there were no pens in the villa?) Mollie Mae found the note tied to her toy Elly Belly, and happily agreed to making things official with Tommy.
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58/62 The ‘travel agent’ strikes again
Not long after Danny coupled up with Yewande and Arabella the two girls were sent packing, leading presenter Iain Sterling to nickname Danny ‘the travel agent’ for his talent in sending girls to the airport. New partner Jourdan was the final girl to fall under Danny’s curse as the pair received the least votes, although this time Danny was booted from the villa too.
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59/62 Amy leaves on heartbreaking note
As she prepared to leave the villa, Amy took her ex Curtis aside for a chat. Days after Curtis had ended their relationship, she told him: “You turned my whole world around and turned it into some kind of craziness. All I’ve ever wanted is for you to be happy. And you’re not going to be able to be happy if I’m still here.” As Curtis broke down in tears, she continued: “I want us to be best friends and I want us to both find someone… I’m not going to be ready in the next three weeks to meet someone else.”
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60/62 Amber gets Michael’s pulse racing
He might be coupled up with Joanna, but it was Michael’s ex Amber who got his pulse racing fastest during the dirty dancing challenge. Amber was glad to hear it, saying: “”So now I’ve at least got something, I can’t just sit and mope around because I know I raised his heart rate the most!”
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61/62 Anton and Belle hit the rocks
She may have shaved his bum, but Belle reached breaking point after a series of slip-ups from Anton. She wasn’t happy that he kissed Anna in the Snog, Marry, Pie challenge, and a confrontation ended in a heated exchange at the nightclub
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62/62 Joanna and Michael say an awkward goodbye
After it was revealed that Joanna and Michael couldn’t stay in the villa together, their fellow Islanders chose to send Joanna packing. She was less than impressed with Michael after it became clear he wouldn’t follow her out of the door, refusing a hug and labelling him a “snake” for staying.
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It is no longer enough to simply cover the bare minimum of sex education. Gen Z’ers and future generations are up against too much to risk that. Pressure comes in at all angles, whether it’s an unrealistic body image egged on by unacheivable standards from social media, or porn pressurising young men and women about how they should behave in the bedroom; there are so many mixed, contradictory messages out there about relationships.
The messages out there for young people today are frilly, unhelpful and rather confusing. They aren’t getting enough of an education about what healthy, modern-day dating consists of, not to mention the fact that what looks good, what you should be doing and what your sex life should look like in a relationship is up to the individual.
My experience of sex education at school can be summed up in one sentence: “Don’t get pregnant, if you do, your future is screwed, the end”. My personal, health, social and economic (PHSE) education wasn’t much better. Every topic brought up was one-dimensional and shallow. In a class that was supposedly meant to be a safe space to talk candidly about issues that matter, emotional abuse, self-esteem, manipulative behaviour and the effect that sex can have on an individual emotionally, physically, as well as the impact on your mental health, didn’t get a look in.
We didn’t ever talk about dating either. But schools shouldn’t underestimate how formative the early stages of a relationship can be, especially for young people, as it’s often the very foundation of any healthy or unhealthy relationship.
Perhaps if I had a better education at these school lessons, I would have had the tools to understand the abusive relationship I ended up in at the age of 22. If I’d have had a better grasp on unhealthy and abusive habits in relationships, I may have been able to spot the signs and red flags much quicker.
Showing the classes different clips of episodes and then having an open forum to discuss whether someone like Maura should openly talk about sex and not get shamed, whether Michael is gaslighting Amber or if Anna overstepped the mark with Ovie, would open up space for an honest discussion in which every student could ask any questions, share their own experiences and ultimately, be educated on what they should or shouldn’t accept in a relationship.
Sure, sometimes these are grey areas which can be complex, subjective and fragile but that’s even more reason to unpick them. In order for the youth of today to go on to have healthy relationships, these conversations are necessary.
