We may only be one week into Love Island 2023, but there’s about to be some tears in the villa – as Mitchel takes a step back from his romance with Molly following newbie Sammy's admission that Molly's his number one. From the moment they first coupled up, it seemed love was in the air for Molly Marsh and Mitchel Taylor, with one fan predicting ‘Molly & Mitchel will 100% be this years couple to go the whole way together’
But past episodes have revealed some cracks for this year's golden couple...
After multiple islanders revealed how they believed the pair were ‘closed off’ due to their close bond – with bombshell Whitney claiming Mitchel had ‘claimed’ Molly – the theatre performer became emotional noting that she didn't want the other boys to think she was closed off.
And after sharing a kiss with bombshell Zachariah and enjoying her date with Sammy - tonight’s episode is set to show the fallout between the once loved-up pair.
In the preview for Friday night, Molly is shown deciding to have a chat with Mitchel (who told his fellow islanders that he wasn’t willing to get to know other people – that they should explore connections with other people.
And, in true islander fashion, it all goes wrong…
After having a private chat on the terrace where Molly reveals she isn’t closed off from getting to know the boys, Mitchel says ‘I don’t want to give you the energy I think you deserve when you’re not going to give me any reciprocation back. I’d rather let you do your thing.’
‘No one compares to you right now. I’m still gonna adore you. I still think you’re great… I don’t wanna cuddle and all that stuff anymore, I wanna sit back and I want you to explore your options.’
And viewers of the show have been quick to take to social media to share their thoughts on the unexpected twist.
One wrote, 'The way Molly and Mitchel went left is genuinely the fastest and scariest in the history of this show???? From Barbie and Ken to Sid and Nancy in no time,' as another predicted, 'Molly and Mitchel is looking like a repeat of Tasha and Andrew.. There will be a rollercoaster but they'll end up together again.'
Despite Molly's tears, not everyone is feeling sympathetic towards the pair - with another fan writing 'Molly needs to stop crying... And Mitchel needs to stop being Luca 2.0. It's only the first few days, they should be taking to everyone.'
However, not everyone was happy to pick a side - with some insisting Molly and Mitchel's fallout was the result of some good old fashion miscommunication on both sides. Noting that it's 'still early days,' one viewer added, 'Both Mitchel and Molly are right in this situation. She has every right to explore her options and he has every right to pull away until she knows how she really feels.'
But the contestants are in Love Island, after all, and it won’t take long for Molly to start exploring her options inside the villa walls – with newbie Sammy making his feelings known.
And Molly and Mitchel’s lovers tiff will be only the beginning of tonight’s drama. After Mitchel receives a text announcing the girls will be choosing who they want to couple up with, the first recoupling of the series leaving everyone shocked – and one unlucky islander packing his bags to leave the villa...
LOVE ISLAND AIRS TONIGHT AT 9PM ON ITV2 AND ITVX