The Love Island villa welcomes members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Ariana Madix, the host of Love Island USA and who identifies as bisexual, expressed a desire for more queer representation on the show in an interview with Cosmopolitan in June 2026. She stated, “I think it would be really, really great because I think that’s just a representation of real life. Queer representation is just representation.”
On Love Island, contestants need to couple up to remain in the luxurious tropical villa. While most pairings are between cisgender and heterosexual individuals, the show has featured several same-sex couples over the years.
Ariana emphasized, “Queer people are a part of life. Listen, there’s no rules. No producer is like, ‘You can’t.’ I think they would follow [a story line] if it happened, for sure. I would love to see that.”
Continue reading to discover the LGBTQIA+ couples who have participated in Love Island and their status after exiting the villa:
Sophie Gradon and Katie Salmon (Love Island UK Season 2)
Sophie Gradon and Katie Salmon made franchise history as the first women to couple up on the UK series in 2016. Shortly after they recoupled, Sophie left the show, stating it was “the end of her journey.”
Katie later coupled with Adam Maxted, finishing the show in fourth place. However, they parted ways soon after leaving the villa.
Sophie passed away in June 2018 at the age of 32.
Phoebe Thompson and Cassie Lansdell (Love Island Australia Season 2)
Phoebe Thompson and Cassie Lansdell formed a couple during the second season of Love Island Australia in 2019. Despite their initial connection, their relationship ended when Cassie recoupled with newcomer Luke Packham.
Phoebe explained her decision to leave, telling Yahoo! Lifestyle, “I was 100 percent ready to go. I think a lot of it has got to do with me being 28 [years old], so I was quite a bit older than everyone in the villa. With me and Cassie, it wasn’t the right environment for us to explore the feelings we had for each other … once I knew that, I thought there’s no purpose for me being here.”
Kassy Castillo and Johnnie Garcia (Love Island USA Season 5)
During the 2023 season of Love Island USA, Kassy Castillo and Johnnie Garcia initially competed for Leo Dionicio’s affections but ended up forming a couple themselves.
Kassy admitted to Johnnie, “I honestly find you attractive, obviously, I just didn’t know if you felt like the attraction too and stuff.” Johnnie reciprocated the sentiment, expressing she felt particularly “comfortable” around Kassy.
However, their relationship did not continue beyond the villa.
Megan Barton-Hanson and Kyra Green (Love Island Games Season 1)
In the first season of Love Island Games in 2023, Megan Barton-Hanson from the UK hit it off with American reality star Kyra Green, leading them to couple up. Unfortunately, Megan had to leave the show due to undisclosed medical reasons shortly after.
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