We’re over halfway throughthis year’s series of Love Island, and alongside Casa Amor antics and Movie Night drama, there’s appeared to be plenty of action under the covers when it comes to our couples.
Now, the Love Island girls have opened up about their sex lives – revealing exactly how far they’ve gone with their partners so far.
Speaking during Wednesday’s episode, the girls revealed that they’ve managed to keep it quite PG – despite the chemistry quite clearly sizzling through our screens. During a girls chat, the crew admitted that none of them had yet had sex in the villa. However, this didn’t mean that they weren’t finding it hard to hold back...
After Jess asked how the girls were ‘finding it,’ Nicole admitted that it was ‘Hard’ – prompting Matilda to joke, ‘Rock solid.’ Emma than agreed, ‘In every sense of the word,’ as Nicole joked, ‘Every way possible hard.’
Of course, it’s 2024 – and by now, we’ve all realised that women have just as many sexual desires as men. Opening up to the girls, Jess said, ‘It’s all natural, ladies! You wouldn’t be human if you didn’t feel these things.’
Matilda agreed, ‘Women have got needs,’ as Jess continued, ‘I just think everyone is human and everyone has those needs.’
Talking to the girls, Emma added, ‘It takes some real strong willpower to get to the point of this and not have done it, so well done.’ Echoing what no doubt crossed the mind of many viewers, Jess joked, ‘Especially as everyone in here is so fit!’
The admission came as a surprise to many fans – particularly those who thought that at least some action had taken place judging from the villa night cameras. In particular, a Hideaway night away with Joey Essex and Grace Jackson left viewers convinced that they’d got hot and heavy under the covers. Apparently, we thought wrong.
The update comes after sources initially reported that ITV were hoping to amp up the sex on this year’s series in an attempt to provide more education. Whether that's right or wrong is up for debate, but it's hard to deny the show's certainly expanded our karma sutra knowledge. Speed bump, anyone?
While couples traditionally had to be voted for a night in the Hideaway, the private bedroom was open all year for whoever wanted it. While it’s seen plenty a cheeky snog, only Grace and Joey have chosen to spend the night there.
It’s clear that the girls were happy to have made it this far without having sex – but underneath their pride, there’s still a smidgen of sexism creeping through. Just why, when the men of the house usually feel free to act out their wildest desires, do female islanders always feel the need to ‘hold back’?
Put frankly, it’s slut shaming.
In the past, there’s been no shortage of sex scandals when it comes to show. After Miss GB Zara Holland lost her title after enjoying a night with Alex Bowen in the Hideaway back in 2016, the star was stripped of her title due to misconduct. A heartbroken Zara then left the villa, later saying in 2018 that having sex on TV ‘destroyed her life.’
Emma-Jane Woodham was infamous during her time on the show in 2016 for one night spent with islander Terry Walsh. While the scene has gone down in Love Island history, Emma - who was just 19 years old at the time - has admitted that she mistakenly assumed that producer’s wouldn’t air the scene. Explaining that she ‘regretted’ her actions for a ‘long time,’ Emma said, ‘It does stay with you, and you do have to carry it with you.’
Another islander to warn people of having sex onscreen was 2018 winner Amber Davies. Although now a successful West End star, Amber initially worried that having sex on TV would 'have a negative impact on my career. I was only 20 and I’ve realised now I had a lot of growing up to do – and I have done.’
In fact, during a guest presenting slot on BBC Radio 5 Live on whether sex had become ‘too casual’, Amber revealed a list of rules she now holds in order to maintain her ‘self respect,' including not having sex on the first date and cutting off ‘friends with benefits.'
It's no wonder the girls on Love Island are choosing not to have sex. Of course those natural bodily desires are certainly there - and last night's chat certainly made it clear that they want to - but something is holding them back. In the back of their mind, they’re no doubt aware of the double standards women face. While men may be praised, women are labelled ‘easy.’
Ultimately, sex is a personal choice. If you prefer to be intimate in private, that’s fine. If you want to bare it all on screen (consensually), that’s also fine. It’s 2024, and still judging women for their sex lives is getting old.
Life is short. If you want to fill it with as many steamy romps as possible, then there’s no judgement here.