Love Island All Stars has been forced to postpone the upcoming series due to the South Africa wildfires, ITV has officially confirmed.
Just days ahead of the launch on Monday, the first episode has been cancelled after wildfires caused a road closure near the villa.
The new series, which features returning contestants looking for another shot at love, was due to begin filming on Saturday.
A statement from ITV read: ‘Further to a production evacuation owing to ongoing wildfires in the area, our assessment of the location site has concluded that filming will need to be postponed.
‘Health and safety is our greatest priority and will always come first, and therefore the transmission of Love Island: All Stars will be delayed until a date to be confirmed.’
Multiple wildfires have been burning across the Western and Eastern Cape due to high temperatures, shifting winds and prolonged dry conditions.
Love Island All Stars has been forced to postpone the upcoming series due to the South Africa wildfires, ITV has officially confirmed
A statement from the producers of Love Island confirming the postponement of the latest series of All Stars
The Ludus Magnus Estate where the villa is situated isn’t far from the fires
Residents of Zwartenbosch, Oyster Bay Road, Kromme River and Riverside areas in the Eastern Cape were evacuated while fires also broke out in Mossel Bay in the Western Cape.
The Love Island villa is in the Ludus Magnus Estate, located about an hour from Cape Town in the Western Cape.
Earlier on Saturday it was revealed the villa had been evacuated as a precaution and shooting the launch episode had to be postponed.
Producers were said to be ‘scrambling’ to ensure the launch episode could still run smoothly, but it has now been confirmed Monday’s episode is cancelled.
An ITV spokesperson confirmed to the Daily Mail: ‘Owing to an ongoing wild fire in the area, we have evacuated the Love Island production site as a precautionary measure.’
It comes after the Daily Mail exclusively revealed the line-up, which includes two former winners, two nepo babies and a finalist whose bitter split from her ex still rumbles on.
Whitney Adebayo, 28, Millie Court, 29, Belle Hassan, 27, Helena Ford, 29, Jess Harding, 25, and Leanne Amaning, 28, are the girls taking part.
They will have to couple up with Ciaran Davies, 23, Jack Keating, 26, Sean Stone, 26, Tommy Bradley, 22, Charlie Frederick, 31, or Shaq Muhammad, 27.
Multiple wildfires have been burning across the Western and Eastern Cape due to high temperatures, shifting winds and prolonged dry conditions
Firefighters putting out the fires in Wemmershoek
Earlier on Saturday it was revealed the villa had been evacuated as a precaution and shooting the launch episode had to be postponed
An area burned by a wildfire is seen in Kouga Municipality in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province
A statement from ITV read: ‘Further to a production evacuation owing to ongoing wildfires in the area, our assessment of the location site has concluded that filming will need to be postponed
The Love Island villa is in the Ludus Magnus Estate, located about an hour from Cape Town in the Western Cape
Elsewhere, the show’s host Maya, 31, shared a health update after pulling out of the Love Island: All Stars launch event days before the hit ITV2 dating series was due to begin
Elsewhere, the show’s host Maya, 31, shared a health update after pulling out of the Love Island: All Stars launch event days before the hit ITV2 dating series was due to begin.
She admitted the ‘flu is kicking my a**’ as she shared a candid Instagram update during her 12-hour flight to South Africa on Monday night.
She flashed a small smile as she posed for a selfie while preparing to get some sleep as she jetted off to Cape Town to host Love Island.
Maya revealed she has taken some vitamins to boost her immune system and is ‘praying the sun’ cures her.
She wrote: ‘Used to spend this flight on the reds chatting away to the flight crew but entering this year wholesome….
‘Lol truthfully the flu came in last minute to kick my a** for the last 24hours. Vitamin C’ed up and praying the sun deletes it all, next stop [South Africa flag emoji]’.
