Are Love Island contestants allowed to smoke in the villa and what are the drinking rules?
18 July 2019, 21:16 | Updated: 18 July 2019, 21:21
Show bosses have overhauled the aftercare programme and cracked down on the rules, from drinking and smoking to nudity
Love Island 2019 has been on for a month now, and it may just be the most dramatic series of all time.
You may have noticed that we don't see the islanders drinking very much or smoking this series, as TV bosses have cracked down on the rules this year.
Here, we look at the strict guidelines the singletons have to follow in 2019.
Are the islanders allowed to drink?
Love Island is renowned for throwing a good party and while it might look like the cocktails are flowing in the villa, there is a strict alcohol policy they have to follow.
Drinks are limited, according to Liana Isadora Van-Riel, who starred on the 2016 series of the show.
She told The Sun: "You're allowed one or two drinks a night, either wine or beer, no spirits".
On a “big night” the Islanders tend to use up their two-drink limit but it seems there’s never an opportunity to get drunk.
A spokesperson for the show said: "We provide our Islanders with all of the necessary precautionary measures and all alcohol consumption is strictly monitored by our production team."
Are they still allowed to smoke?
ITV bosses have cracked down on the villa’s smoking rules after a huge wave of complaints in 2017.
Contestants were filmed in the designated smoking area having heart-to-hearts and gossip chats during the third series, which caused outrage as it looked as though the contestants were smoking constantly.
Last year’s series saw a smoking ban inside the villa and its gardens. Those wanting to light up had to leave the villa and go to a different area in a bid to discourage social smoking.
This year, the policy is even stricter as only one contestant will be allowed to go to the smoking area at a time.
Liana also revealed that in 2016 contestants were allowed a pack of 20 a day.
She said: "I only social smoked before the show and when I went in I was smoking 15 a day."
The ITV spokesman added: "We have a designated smoking area outside the villa.
"Islanders can only use this area alone."
Is there a no nudity policy?
As the villa is reportedly seen as a public place, contestants are discouraged from getting naked – even in the shower.
They aren’t supposed to be fully nude in front of each other and according to The Mirror, there’s a ban on masturbation too.
What about sex?
Despite the rules around nudity, sex scenes will still air but only if those saucy encounters are relevant to a budding romance.
The spokesman explained: "The show isn't about sex, it's about following the couples' journeys.
"We only tend to show moments of intimacy when we feel it is important to the couple’s story and advances the narrative of the show."
The contestants are reportedly also provided with condoms to ensure they practice safe sex.
What is Love Island's new counselling policy?
Following the tragic suspected suicides of former contestants Mike Thalassitis and Sophie Gradon, Love Island has overhauled its aftercare.
Now, Islanders will have regular check-ups, social media guidance, financial support and an offer of therapy once leaving the villa – and in the months that follow.
ITV Studios' creative director Richard Hastings said: "When something so awful happens we naturally enter a period of soul searching and ask whether anything could have been done.
"This review has led us to extend our support processes to offer therapy to all Islanders and not only those that reach out to us.
"And we will be delivering bespoke training to all future Islanders to include social media and financial management.
"The key focus will be for us to no longer be reliant on the Islanders asking us for support but for us to proactively check in with them on a regular basis."
Love Island kicks off on Monday 3rd June at 9pm on ITV2.
