We've always said the best Love Island drama goes on when the cameras aren't rolling – especially in 2024 when the series is SO produced it's basically some feature film/music video hybrid at this point – and Love Island 2019 turned All Stars OG Chris Taylor has spilled some scalding hot tea that proves just that.
Joining us for the latest episode of our Love Island podcast heat's Under the Duvet alongside Joanna Chimonides, Chris revealed that some major drama went down in the days leading up to the All Stars final amongst our dumped Islanders (who had all returned to South Africa for that twist that saw Arabella Chi and Adam Maxted getting booted).
According to Chris, a major "betrayal" went down ahead of the final and he was more than happy to expose the culprits – the dumped girls – for their devious actions off camera, on camera.
Chris and Joanna revealed to host Harriet Rose that despite actually not really being on the show anymore the boys and girls were still kept separated before and after the final – on flights and at hotels – with Chris revealing, "They don't let us cross paths in the slightest."
Jo added, "We were kept apart the whole time."
Chris then adds, this also means "separate hotels" for some bizarre reason.
"Betrayal" incoming...
Mr Taylor explained, "[The boys] were in a lovely hotel, [the girls} were in a less lovely hotel, with seagulls pooing in their pool."
Joanna then admitted to said act of 'betrayal' explaining, "Us girls had landed, the boys hadn't yet landed in South Africa and Chris sent me the hotel they were staying in and I was like, 'Why are we not staying there?' We were staying in like a hotel that wasn't as great and so we called up the producers and were like, 'The boys haven't landed yet, let's [switch] hotels'."
Chris added, "As if the [villa] betrayal wasn't enough."
The producers said no, btw, which we have mixed feelings about.
So not just betrayal, but also not treating our Love Island girlies like the A-list queens they are, apparently. It's all giving messy if you ask us – that might just be the seagull poo, though, tbf.
Setting aside all of that confusing production mess, we're taking one small nugget of information away from the story – and that's the fact that Chris and Joanna have clearly swapped numbers.
For more Love Island goss from the latest dumped Islanders, make sure you listen to heat's Under the Duvet.
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Ben Pulsford is a digital writer for both heatworld and Closer online. When he's not being paid to watch Love Island and Big Brother, he's storming the London cabaret scene as his drag alter-ego, Beary Poppins.