Love Island has turned into a jewel in the crown of ITV over the years as millions of people now tune in to the dating show each night.
From a steady start of around about half a million people tuning into the 2015 series, the current edition is pulling in a whopping four million viewers each night.
That’s not the only major difference, with new villas, changes to how the show is structured and some behind-the-scenes rules being implemented to try protect the contestants.
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One of the big ones which fans may not have noticed is that Islanders are no longer permitted to smoke on camera.
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(Image: ITV)
In earlier seasons of the show, a lot of the Islanders had their conversations about the ongoings in the villa while smoking a cigarette.
Before it was banned, it was revealed that the contestants who smoked were given 20 cigarettes per day.
Craig Lawson, who briefly appeared on the show, said in 2017: “The show normally provides 20 fags a day per person – so five people equates to 100 cigarettes. Fags are on mass supply.
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(Image: ITV)
“But if you get through your daily allowance then you won’t be given anymore – no one should be smoking more than 20 a day; that’s a lot. Some people smoke quite excessively in the villa…
“I’m a non-smoker but I would still get a supply. You get so bored when you’re in there – that’s why you see so many people smoking. There’s only so much you can talk about your life.”
(Image: ITV)
Speaking during a Facebook Live interview with the Daily Star, former Islander Jess Hayes spoke candidly about her experience and spilled some behind the scenes gossip on the nation’s favourite dating show.
A major difference that sets the earlier series apart from the rest is the fact that the producers used to film the contestants smoking.
Jess exclaimed: “They used to film us smoking, that used to be the gossip corner!”
She continued: “That was the spot, wasn’t it? Everyone would have a fag.
“I swear to god, we were so bored in there we must have gone through about 40 a day, each. There were people in there smoking that had never even smoked [before], there was nothing else to do apart from smoke and gossip!”
However, in 2018, ITV bosses decided to ban the showing of smoking on screens after many complaints from viewers.
Speaking to the Daily Star, an ITV spokesperson also confirmed that only one islander is permitted to smoke at any given time.
Islanders are allowed to smoke outside the villa in a designated area.
However, in a bid to not encourage one another to take up smoking for the social element and to avoid conversations not being filmed, contestants can only go out one at a time by themselves.
Love Island airs nightly on ITV2 and ITV Hub at 9pm
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
