49 Memorable Love Island Moments That Got Everyone Talking

Love Island is returning for its eighth season
Love Island is returning for its eighth season

Love Island is returning for its eighth season

Since its debut in 2015, Love Island has delivered as many (if not more) nuggets of telly gold than shows that have been knocking about for twice as long.

With a new series upon us, here’s a look back at just some of those moments that had everyone talking...

1. *That* Brexit discussion – series 4

The worlds of politics and reality TV had a rare collision when the female Islanders attempted to discuss the UK’s exit from the EU back in 2018.

Hayley didn’t really seem to understand what everyone was on about, though, asking of Brexit: “What’s that?”

After someone tried to explain, she then questioned: “So does that mean we won’t have any trees?”

Priceless.

2. Camilla schools Jonny on feminism – series 3

The first breakdown of Jonny and Camilla’s relationship came after a chat about whether men should pay for women they take on dates.

When he said he’d feel “almost emasculated” if a girl were to pay for him, Camilla gave him a lesson in feminism and the imbalance of power and opportunities between men and women.

However, he didn’t seem too up for listening, later stating his belief that “women almost have more opportunities [than men]”. Smh.

3. Malia is thrown out after a physical fight – series 2

Malia’s stay in the villa wasn’t long (about an hour, in fact), but she certainly made an impression in that time.

After being introduced as part of a bombshell twist, she was removed by security after getting into a physical altercation with Kady.

During their initial breezy chat with the rest of the group, Kady spilled some of her drink on Malia’s leg, prompting a heated outburst when the newcomer accused her of doing it deliberately.

Unsurprisingly, a heated argument then broke out, culminating in Malia “shoving” her fellow contestant, leading to her removal.

4. Jon proposes to Hannah – series 1

A marriage task in the final week of the first series led to a highly unexpected moment when Jon made a genuine proposal to Hannah – and she actually said yes, after just five weeks of knowing the bloke.

But while they left the villa officially engaged, it wasn’t long before it was called off, when their romance hit the rocks in the outside world.

5. When Davide uttered this immortal line – series 8

While Ekin-Su and Davide went on to be crowned Love Island winners in 2022, it’s fair to say that things were not exactly plain sailing in the early days of their romance.

6. Josh returns from Casa Amor with Kaz – series 4

The Casa Amor twist always throws up some surprises, but there was no bigger shock for Georgia than to see her man Josh strutting back into the villa with new squeeze Kaz, after she’d spent days of boasting about how “loyal” he was.

So awks.

7. Anna explodes at Jordan – series 5

Jordan found himself embroiled in a huge row with Anna, just days after asking her to be his girlfriend, when he admitted his head had been turned by India.

Anna did not take the betrayal lying down, leading to a huge showdown that divided the villa (and viewers) right down the middle. And if their row wasn’t uncomfortable enough, their reunion on Aftersun certainly was.

8. Rosie gives Adam a dressing down... TWICE – series 4

Rosie won herself a legion of supporters when she called out partner Adam for attempting to crack on with Megan in front of the rest of the villa.

While she later ended up getting back with him, things came to a spectacular end when he ditched her for newcomer Zara.

This resulted in another tense showdown, in which Rosie dragged Adam for hurting her so much, as well as accusations from charity Women’s Aid that Adam’s behaviour displayed “warning signs” of “gaslighting and emotional abuse”.

9. Luke T asks Siannise to be his girlfriend – series 6

Usually, we roll our eyes a little bit when the Islanders make a big song and dance about asking someone to be their official boyfriend or girlfriend, but there was something about Luke T’s grand gesture that really tugged at our heartstrings. 

As he prepared to ask Disney-loving Siannise to go official with him, he arranged a treasure hunt around the villa, with her Prince Charming waiting for her at the end. 

Even the most cynical Love Island viewers would have found it hard not to let out a little “awwww”.

10. Faye’s outburst at Teddy – series 7

Faye came under fire from viewers when she was seen yelling and swearing at Teddy, after watching footage of him telling a fellow Islander he found her attractive.

It was later revealed this scene led around 25,000 viewers to complain to Ofcom, more than any other on-air incident in all seven seasons of Love Island.

11. Zara gets stripped of her Miss GB title – series 2

After getting intimate in the hideaway with newcomer Alex, Zara was controversially stripped of her Miss GB title by pagent bosses, as they believed her decision to sleep with someone on TV meant she was not “a positive role model” and “did not uphold the responsibility expected of the title”.

Producers informed Zara of the news, leading to her breaking down in tears in the villa.

Zara left the show just days later, but it should be noted her decision to quit was due to an illness in her family.

12. When Andrew had a confession for Tasha – series 8

Tash and Andrew were one of the steadiest couples prior to Casa Amor, but things changed when Andrew learned of some doubts she’d had about their relationship from the new arrivals.

He then cracked on with Coco, with their nocturnal antics proving to be much of a talking point – not least when he later had to confess to Tash that he’d “licked [Coco’s] tit, or whatever” when he hoped to reunite with his former flame.

A quote for the ages.

13. Stormzy makes a cameo appearance – series 3

Chart-topping grime star and Love Island superfan Stormzy paid the contestants a visit via Skype during rehearsals for a villa talent show, serving up one of the key moments of the 2017 series.

Marcel, Kem and Chris couldn’t quite believe their eyes as he sat giving them some rapping tips, after showcasing their “skills” in the villa.

However, the best bit came when Olivia overheard Stormzy’s voice and marched into the living room to confront him about a tweet that had been the subject of an earlier task, in which the rapper claimed Chris was “too good” for her.

Crrrrr-inge.

14. Jonny vs Theo – series 3

One of the most tense rivalries during the third series came after Theo’s arrival in the villa.

Attempting to snare Tyla from Jonny, Theo came to blows with his rival when he picked her during a recoupling ceremony. But the fighting between the boys did not end there, leading to this memorable confrontation.

15. Malin returns to confront Terry – series 2

It didn’t take Terry long to forget about Malin when she was voted off the Island, and he soon moved on to new girl Emma Jane.

With Malin supposedly back home, the last thing he was expecting was for her to stage a dramatic return – but that she did, and then some.

16. Megan makes her move on Wes – series 4

At this point in the series, Wes and Laura were (seemingly) happily coupled up –but then along came Megan, who was not at all afraid to tell Wes how much she wanted him for herself.

After luring him off to the balcony, Megan begged for him to forget about Laura and kiss her.

There’s bold... and then there’s this.

17. Megan vs Laura – series 4

After Megan bagged Wes for herself, he then had the job of breaking the news to Laura.

As expected, it went down like a cup of cold sick, and it wasn’t long before Laura began hurling insults at Megan across the garden as the rest of the Islanders watched on from the firepit.

18. Amber discovers Michael has re-coupled with Joanna – series 5

Casa Amor never fails to deliver on the drama front and things were no different in 2019.

After watching how then-favourite Michael had grown close to newbie Joanna as Amber remained loyal to him over in the second villa, we saw her world come crashing down as she discovered his infidelity during what has to be the show’s most dramatic recoupling ever.

19. ‘Congrats, hun’ – series 6

Another classic recoupling scene following Casa Amor saw perhaps one of the most iconic lines in Love Island history uttered. 

After Callum returned to the villa with new girl Molly, you could feel Shaughna’s heartbreak through the screen – but she wasn’t about to break down in front of them. 

Instead, she simply said: “Congrats, hun.”

That wasn’t the only memorable one-liner Shaughna had while in the villa, however – there was a heap of them.

20. Ekin-Su’s antics on the terrace – series 8

Eventual series winner Ekin-Su cemented her status as a Love Island icon early into her stay in the villa with her antics on the infamous terrace.

In scenes reminiscent of a Mission Impossible film, Ekin-Su stole a kiss from newcomer Jay, despite being coupled-up with Davide at the time, after crawling across the terrace to avoid being seen by her fellow Islanders.

The moment lit up social media at the time, where users joked it was “iconic”, “Bafta-worthy” and something for the Love Island hall of fame.

21. Hugo ignites drama around the firepit – series 7

The turning point of series seven came when Hugo made a pointed speech about Toby’s decision to couple up with Abi instead of Chloe. 

Throwing a number of shady comments at Toby, Hugo said of Chloe: “She doesn’t deserve to be treated how she has been this past 24 hours.”

Cue some iconic facial reactions from the Islanders, which were immediately turned into memes.

22. Rykard leaves to be with Rachel – series 2

Having found himself in a love triangle with Rachel and Olivia, Rykard was hauled over the coals by Rachel after she staged a dramatic return to the villa.

Following their confrontation, Rykard decided it was Rachel that his heart was truly with, and decided to leave the Island to be with her.

23. Camilla gets her heart broken – series 3

After being on, then off, then on again, it looked like Camilla had finally found happiness with Johnny.

However, his head had been turned by new girl Tyla, and he left poor Cam heartbroken when he called things off between them so he could couple up with the new arrival.

Our hearts ached for Camilla as she watched him immediately head off to kiss Tyla, but luckily it wasn’t long before Jamie came along and whisked her off her feet.

24. Amy and Curtis end their relationship – series 5

Amy and Curtis’ romance hit the rails when he confessed his attraction to Maura, and as they sat down to have it out during a number of “chats”, there wasn’t one line from their exchanges that wasn’t iconic. 

“I was coming back here to tell you I love you!” still lives rent free in our memories, as does “I also want to be the person that gets up and makes everyone a coffee so that everyone is ready for the morning”.

25. Love Island producers get caught staging a kiss – series 4

The villa erupted into arguments when Jack Fowler claimed Georgia had kissed him on the lips during a date, despite the fact he was coupled up with Laura.

While she consistently denied it, Aftersun used VAR technology to prove she HAD kissed Jack.

However, there was a twist in the tale when eagle-eyed fans captured footage that proved the kiss was actually filmed twice, prompting accusations of fakery.

26. Tom absolutely blows it with Maura – series 5

Tom found himself well and truly put in his place, when after winning a night in the Hideaway with Maura, she overheard him bragging to the other boys about how he’d discover whether she was “all mouth”, referring to her previous comments about sex.

Maura tore him a new one and he was left with a serious amount of egg on his face.

27. Adam Collard returns – series 8

In a Love Island first during the 2022 season, a former contestant re-entered the villa during another series as a fully-fledged Islander.

To the shock of fans, series four’s Adam Collard returned for a second chance at finding love, which initially proved controversial given he’d faced accusations of gaslighting during his previous appearance.

However, Adam went on to forge a relationship with Paige in the villa, with the couple finishing in fifth place on the series, although ultimately their romance was not to last in the real world.

28. Liberty and Jake leave the villa – series 7

For a long time, Liberty and Jake were the most stable couple of series seven, even surviving Casa Amor and becoming official boyfriend and girlfriend.

But after doubts started creeping in, their relationship started to unravel, and while it initially seemed like there was hope they could work it out, they eventually called time on things and made the decision to leave the villa together.

29. Jason Staythumb – series 3

Chris made a memorable gaffe when he was asked to guess who he thought Chloe’s celebrity crush was during a game of Mr and Mrs.

While he did correctly predict that it was Jason Statham that Chloe had the hots for, he didn’t quite manage to get the spelling of his name correct.

30. Danny Dyer pops up in the villa – series 4

Whether or not Danny Dyer was going to visit daughter Dani in the villa was the subject of much speculation during the 2018 series.

And while we never got to see him actually bowl into the gaff, he did appear via Skype in the final week of the series to give the thumbs up to Dani’s new man in a way that only Danny Dyer could.

31. Amy leaves the villa – series 5

After ending her romance with Curtis, Amy found it too difficult to see her ex-“half-boyfriend” cracking on with someone else and made the tough decision to leave the villa for the sake of her mental health, informing her fellow Islanders in emotional scenes.

32. Demi takes a tumble – series 6

People falling over isn’t exactly sophisticated humour, but it sure is funny, as demonstrated by Demi when she took a tumble down the decking in the garden. 

And the fact she managed to save her wine was immediately singled out for praise on Twitter at the time.

33. Jacques leaves the villa – series 8

There was a shock departure in 2022 when it was announced Jacques had left the villa, with fans later seeing him tearfully explaining to partner Paige and their fellow Islanders that he was leaving the show to “get back to himself”.

In the lead up to his departure, Jacques had struggled to deal with the arrival of former contestant Adam Collard, who had expressed an interest in Paige.

34. Bethany causes mayhem within minutes of arriving – series 1

Bethany made a memorable entrance when she was cast as a latecomer to the series, immediately locking horns with Jess, who she accused of using Omar just to stay on the show.

Talk about going in with all guns blazing.

35. Millie and her keyboard – series 7

The Love Island 2021 Talent Show scene was jam-packed with debatable “skills”.

However, the real stand-out act was Millie and her keyboard taking on Ed Sheeran’s Perfect, which soon gifted one of the silliest memes in the show’s history, and was even mimicked in a promo for the following season.

36. And Indiyah and her recorder – series 8

During the 2022 talent show came the sequel to Millie and her keyboard, courtesy of Indiyah and her recorder, which was equally as memorable (and musically questionable).

37. Marcel kisses Shannen and realises he’s technically cheated on Gabby – series 3

Having been separated from Gabby thanks to the Casa Amor twist, Marcel forgot about his relationship when he took part in a game that involved locking lips with newcomer Shannen.

However, he quickly realised his mistake and the look on his face was totally priceless.

38. Joanna pies ‘snake’ Michael after shock dumping – series 5

In a Beach Club twist, the Islanders had to choose between Joanna and Michael to remain in the villa, after they were revealed as the least popular couple.

After Joanna’s name was called, she branded him a “snake” when he failed to say he’d follow her home, as he had earlier been been told by ex Amber Gill that she still has feelings for him.

What a palaver!

39. Terry and Emma’s X-rated display – series 2

In probably some of the most explicit scenes that Love Island has ever aired, Terry and Emma got down to business without any worries about what their fellow Islanders might see, choosing to do the deed on top of the covers.

Emma later claimed she’d deliberately done this as she mistakenly thought it would prevent producers from airing the footage.

40. Georgia steals Kem from Amber – series 3

Georgia made quite the impression after making a late arrival, making a play for Kem, who was happily coupled up with Amber.

During a dramatic recoupling ceremony, Georgia chose to pair up with Kem, leaving Amber absolutely raging, but the row did gift us with possibly one of the best GIFs of all time.

41. Alexandra puts Dr Alex in his place – series 4 

Alexandra delivered some cutting words to Dr Alex after he called off their romance.

Having watched him dillying and dallying between various girls in the villa, Alexandra was exasperated when he suddenly became distant from her, and told him: “I think you’re pathetic, you’ve wasted my time and you’ve wasted your own. Shame on you.”

42. Lillie blows Liam and Millie apart – series 7

The nation’s jaws collectively dropped when Lillie entered the main villa to deliver some home truths about what Liam had been up to in Casa Amor behind the back of Millie, who had stayed loyal to him during the twist. 

Never before has an Islander made such an impact in such a short space of time. A Love Island legend.

43. Dani finds out Jack’s ex is in Casa Amor – series 4

Poor Dani was left in floods of tears when she was shown a video clip of boyfriend Jack reacting to his ex Ellie Jones arriving in Casa Amor.

With no way of talking to Jack to find out what was going on, a distressed Dani was left in limbo about the future of her relationship for three whole days.

The stunt prompted more than 2500 Ofcom complaints, but the broadcasting regulator later cleared the show of any wrongdoing.

44. Calum Best pays a visit – series 1

Back when Love Island was Celebrity Love Island, Calum Best was one of the stand-out stars of the series, baffling and delighting viewers in equal measure.

So who better to call on when the show was rebooted for ITV2 in 2015 than the man himself?

He popped up halfway through the first series to take the male Islanders on a boys night out, with obvious “lads lads lads” action ensuing and a massive fall out after Josh brought girls back to the villa.

45. Yewande lets Danny have it as she leaves villa – series 5

After various ups and downs in their short-lived relationship, the writing was on the wall for Danny and Yewande when he dumped her for newbie Arabella during a recoupling.

While Yewande handled her exit graciously, she let Danny know exactly what she thought of him as she prepared to leave the Island.

“I hope you enjoy your time in the villa,” she said. “What goes around comes around. Have a nice life.”

Someone get some ice for that burn.

46. Cash Hughes – series 3

The baby task is one of the highlights of every series, but Chris’ affection for his and Olivia’s plastic doll was something else.

While Liv clearly wasn’t up for being a pretend mother, Chris was on the complete opposite end of the spectrum, even bursting into tears with how much love they had for their “son”, Cash Hughes.

47. Jess’ Skittle fail – series 6

Listen, we’ve all had moments where our attempts to flirt have been derailed by something particularly dumb we’ve said or done, but we don’t think we’ve ever got a Skittle stuck in our eyelash. 

The same can not be said for Jess, however, who had an unexpected moment involving confectionary as she tried to turn the charm on.

48. Everything Olivia Attwood did and said – series 3

Like her or loathe her (to be clear, we’re very much fans), there’s no denying Olivia was an absolute diamond of an Islander.

Everything that fell out of her mouth was instantly quotable (“dicksand”, anyone?)... and then came that iconic pool dive.

49. See also: Ovie – series 5

Never before has a man made such an impression with the word “message”.

Ovie, we take our bucket hat off to you.

Love Island returns on Monday 5 June at 9pm on ITV2. 

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