Love Island: All Stars filming delayed amid South Africa wildfires - days before launch
ITV has delayed filming and transmission of Love Island: All Stars after wildfires near the show's South African villa prompted an evacuation and raised health and safety concerns for cast and crew.
ITV has been forced to postpone filming of the new series of Love Island: All Stars amid the South African wildfires.
Shooting of the third season of the ITV2 matchmaking show - which brings back memorable singletons from previous series of Love Island - was set to begin on Saturday (10.01.26).
But with production being cancelled due to health and safety concerns due to wildfires near the programme's South African villa in Ludus Magnus Estate - an hour from Cape Town in the Western Cape - the show's launch on Monday (12.01.26) will not air as planned.
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."
The broadcaster has not revealed any further details on when filming for Love Island: All Stars - hosted by 31 year old Maya Jama - can continue.
Earlier on Saturday, ITV said the villa had been evacuated as a precaution, and shooting had been postponed.
It came amid multiple wildfires that broke out across the Western and Eastern Cape due to high temperatures, dry conditions and changing winds.
An ITV spokesperson told MailOnline: "Owing to an ongoing wildfire in the area, we have evacuated the Love Island production site as a precautionary measure."
An insider told The Sun that Love Island: All Stars' contestants were being kept in hiding and would not be travelling up to the villa as planned.
The source said: "This is a massive nightmare for ITV, but they’re doing everything they can to keep Love Island All Stars on track.
"A fire broke out close to the villa, and it was deemed too dangerous to have Maya. "The cast and all of the production crew were working there in case it suddenly moved closer to the villa.
"They have now cancelled filming today and are hoping to resume tomorrow. ITV will always put the welfare of the cast and crew above the show.
"But this is a huge headache and will make everything a far closer call when it comes to getting enough footage in the can for Monday night’s launch show.
"Naturally, if the fire is still posing a risk, the show will be pushed back again."
In total, 12 previous Love Island stars are hoping for another shot at finding love in the villa.
Whitney Adebayo, 28, Millie Court, 29, Belle Hassan, 27, and Charlie Frederick, 30, have been announced.
Ciaran Davies, 22, Jess Harding, 25, Sean Stone, 26, Shaq Muhammad, 27, and Jack Keating, 26, will also join them in the villa.
And Tommy Bradley, 22, Leanne Amaning, 28, and Helena Ford, 29, complete the line-up.
Love Island: All Stars was thrown into chaos after Maya pulled out of the series three launch event on Monday (05.01.26) after "feeling sick" on the "same day she’s due to fly out to South Africa".
Later that day, the star took to her Instagram Stories and told fans that she had been battling the flu, but was still flying out to South Africa to film the show.
Captioning a photo of herself on a plane on her way to the country, she penned: "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 24hrs.
"Vitamin c'd up and praying the sun deletes it all, next stop [South Africa flag emoji]. (sic)"
