As the 11th series of the hugely popular reality show launches tonight (June 3), Daily Star has taken a deep dive inside some of the grossest parts of the luxury lodgings

Love Island is arguably one of the most glamorous shows on television.

Every year, viewers swoon over the lucky contestants’ gorgeous outfits and lavish lodgings throughout the ITV series. But it’s fair to say it’s a very different story when the cameras are turned off.

Yes, the luxury villa has an enormous infinity pool and gorgeous views of the Spanish countryside. But over the years, several previous Love Island stars have lifted the lid on some production secrets that are less than desirable.

As the 11th series of the hugely popular reality show launches tonight (June 3), Daily Star have taken a deep dive inside some of the grossest parts of the luxury lodgings.

From bathroom rotas to stinky furnishings, let’s see what this year’s sexy singletons are walking in to.

Stinky beach hut

Brad McClellend claims the Beach Hut is “disgusting” (Image: ITV)
According to 2021 Islander Brad McClellend, the Love Island’s famous Beach Hut absolutely reeks.

Describing the famous check in hut as “disgusting”, he confessed to us: “The Beach Hut used to stink because obviously all during the day we’d been in the pool, got sun cream on, or will go and do a challenge and do the horrible food challenges.

“And obviously we’re sitting on a big wicker chair and you’re wet and after a while, the cushion will be damp and they just have a bottle of spray and you’d go in and spray it.

The Beach Hut gets used loads, it’s probably the most popular place so there’s even more dirt and stuff.”

The diary room is the most used room in the villa (Image: ITV)
But former Love Island host Laura Whitmore insisted that the foul smell isn’t completely contained to just the Beach Hut.

Reflecting on her time working on the show, she recalled to The Times that the lavish property often smelt horrid due to the limited bathroom facilities and competing perfumes.

She told the outlet: “The Love Island villa smells – that’s the one thing the audience at home never see.

When you walk into a house with that many men and only two or three toilets, the smell of fake tan, the flatulence, the perfumes and aftershaves all together is like this eclectic medley.”

Limited toilets

The Islanders have to share two bathrooms between them (Image: ITV)
Many former Islander have revealed that one of the biggest problems in the stunning villa is the lack of bathroom facilities available.

Many have claimed that there are only two showers and toilets in the villa, meaning the cast have to queue up for ages to use them.

After the cast reunite after Casa Amor, there can be up to 18 people sharing a villa on the show meaning stars will often fight for a spot in the shower each day.

Demi Jones previously told Closer magazine about one disgusting incident involving the limited toilets.

Demi Jones blamed one bathroom disaster on the boys (Image: ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
She recalled: “The most disgusting thing about living in the villa was the toilet. It was upstairs – I remember we all came into the bathroom one night and everyone was shouting because someone had literally done a volcano in the toilet and everyone was going, ‘How has it actually splattered up the walls?’

“And no one has admitted to it. It was the upstairs toilet – I was like, keep me as far away from the boys as possible. But it was definitely a boy. Maybe it was the iced lattes in the morning.”

Garden portaloos

Each week, Islanders are forced to use shared portaloos in the garden (Image: ITV)
Former Islander Abigail Rawlings revealed she often had to use “stinky, horrible portaloos” during her time in the Spanish villa.

The brunette beauty, who was a bombshell in the 2021 series, explained how the stars would be turfed out into the garden each day to clean the luxury villa.

The tattoo artist recalled how the property would be “taped off”, meaning the stars would have to use a “stinky” portaloo when they needed the bathroom.

Speaking to Daily Star, she confessed: “They used to deep clean the villa and they would put tape up and we weren’t allowed in the villa while the cleaners were in there.

“And they would do that every day at midday and if anyone needed a wee, we would have to go around the back in the garden. It was so hot, it was like a sauna and all the boys used it too, and it was really smelly.

The temporary toilets apparently stink due to the heat (Image: ITV)
“It depended on how desperate you needed a wee. You just have to suck it up.” And she wasn’t the only star who recalled having to use the gross outdoor bathrooms during their ITV stint.

The 2021 winner Millie Court also shared her experience using the portable loos during a chat with Cosmopolitan where she lifted the lid on what really happens behind-the-scenes.

She told the publication: “The villa gets put on lockdown sometimes for up to three hours and you literally cannot go inside the villa.

“So you have to stay in the garden so if you need a wee or a poo you have to go in the portable loo cabin thing outside the back of the villa and because it’s so hot there it literally stinks and it’s boiling.”

Bathroom rotas

Islanders are forced to follow a strict shower rota (Image: ITV)
It’s fair to say things were made even worse when Islanders had to fight to secure a time slot to use the two showers on the property.

It is understood that before 2022, the cast weren’t allowed to use the showers in the mornings so that the producers could film the morning shots each day.

Speaking to The Sun at the time, Shaughna Phillips recalled that contestants were only allowed to shower for up to 10 minutes at a time. She recalled: “I suppose one show secret that a lot of people are shocked by is that you can’t just have a shower when you want, you can’t just wash your hair whenever you want.

“There are set shower times, which is probably about five to ten minutes each person, and the last few people that are allowed to get in the shower, the cold water comes on because the hot water has run out.”

Former bombshell Amy Day recalled how stressful it was to use the facilities each day.

Contestants will queue for hours for a slot in the shower (Image: ITV)
She told OK! Magazine: “The worst part about getting ready was showering because there were 18 of us and only two showers. The girls used the indoor show and most of the boys used the one outdoors.

“It was so hard to get a slot in the queue that I ended up ditching my workouts in order to wash – if I didn’t grab a spot quickly, I’d never be clean.

It was a catch 22 situation and I had to choose whether I wanted a shower and no workout or to workout and not have a shower.

“Luckily, everyone was pretty generous when it came to allocating slots and not taking too long once they were in there.”