Love Island latecomer puts cat among the pigeons as new series kicks off

A last-minute addition to the new cohort of Love Island contestants is set to disrupt the newly-formed couples.

After the islanders paired up during Monday’s series opener, they were told that Chloe Burrows would be coming in and choosing one of the men to form a couple with.

The ITV dating show returned to television screens on Monday for the first time since the winter series in 2020 after it was cancelled last summer because of the coronavirus pandemic.

As the new couples were sat in their pairs round the fire after a dramatic first day, they received a voice message from marketing executive Chloe, 25.

The group were informed she would be taking the men, who are all coupled up, out on a date before poaching one of them from their current partner.

Monday’s episode began with the contestants arriving in batches as they got acquainted with their fellow islanders and new living environment before the coupling up began.

After all the women had arrived, the men were brought in one by one to pick an islander to form a pair with.

Before they made their decision, each of the female contestants was given the opportunity to step forwards to express an interest in the new arrival.

Semi-professional footballer Toby Aromolaran is coupled with fashion blogger Kaz Kamwi and events host Aaron Francis is paired with model Shannon Singh.

Water engineer Jake Cornish is in a couple with waitress and student Liberty Poole, while PE teacher Hugo Hammond is with civil servant Sharon Gaffka.

Lettings manager Faye Winter paired with labourer Brad McClelland.

None of the women had stepped forward for Hugo and Toby, while Faye had previously been paired with both men.

Shannon expressed her disappointment with Aaron during the episode, saying she was “struggling” to hit it off with him.

“I think he’s amazing, he’s lovely to look at, he’s a lovely, lovely guy, but a lot of the other guys have got banter, they’ve got chat, they’re funny,” she said.

Sharon also criticised Hugo after being coupled up with him, saying he is a “bit shy” and not her type.

The islanders also had to complete a number of raunchy tasks which included kissing,

The episode offered a first look at the revamped filming location in Mallorca, which featured a large infinity pool, panoramic views and aubergine emoji wall decorations.

Shortly before the start of Love Island, ITV tweeted to say its streaming platform was experiencing technical difficulties, while a large amounts of viewers posted to say they were having trouble watching the programme online.

Love Island continues on ITV2 and ITV Hub.