Jessie Wynter uncovers the secrets behind Love Island All

Jessie Wynter opens up on off-camera tension and hidden conversations

Former villa star also dishes on her recent engagement and feuding villa stars

For many of this year’s Love Island All Stars contestants, the South African villa is another opportunity for love.

But for Jessie Wynter, her second time in the villa was slightly different. After appearing on the second series of Love Island Australia in 2019, she later found love on the UK version with Will Young in 2023.

Now, speaking exclusively to Joe Fortune, Jessie has opened up about the main differences between the two shows, explaining how the UK version left a ‘bitter taste’ and felt ‘intense,’ while she has nothing but good memories of her Aussie experience.

She also shares her thoughts on the current series of All Stars, including why she believes viewers aren’t seeing certain conversations between some of the Islanders, her advice for recently single Millie Court, and why she thinks it’s difficult to see proper relationships to form in the villa right now.

Lifting the lid on her recent engagement to Will, the former show star explains why she chose to hold back the news from the world – and why she didn’t expect the proposal.

Speaking to Joe Fortune, Love Island star Jessie Wynter shares:

Congrats on your engagement! How have you celebrated?

Everything is great! We had our first mini celebration with Will’s family on the weekend, so it was kind of an engagement party. We still want to do a bigger one later in the year.

Is it nice to be back in the UK after Australia?

We were away in Australia and got back a couple of weeks ago. It was nice because we got to celebrate it with my family then we came back here and it was another round of celebrations. We’re lucky that All Stars is on because we’ve been a bit like homebodies.

Did you expect the proposal?

I didn’t expect it then. Will kept on talking about going to the Maldives again, and little did I know that he had a surprise trip booked for me! I had in my head that Will wanted to go to the Maldives later in the year; perhaps then that’s when he’ll do it. I didn’t think he would propose at that time. We were really busy as well. In my head, I wouldn’t have assumed he would have planned a proposal in Tasmania because he hadn’t spent much time there, and when he has been there, it’s always with me. It was a really big surprise; it was really sweet.

Do you think you will have a long or short engagement?

I think it will have to be a longer engagement. We did get engaged in December, and we only told the world in January.

Why did you wait a couple of weeks to share the engagement with the world?

It was nice to have some time where no one knew. We got engaged that night, and we didn’t want to go on our phones that night and the following day. We had this really nice accommodation, and my family was there. We didn’t actually tell anyone, but Will told his parents prior to doing it, and we had a really quick phone call with them at the time. We wanted time off our phones, and when we could, I wanted to try and tell as many people in person, but Will had booked a trip to the Maldives. There were only two days in between getting engaged and going to the Maldives, which was stressful because I didn’t know that was happening.

When we went to the Maldives, we didn’t want to stress and think about being online. When we were there, it was nice to have a phone-off period. By the time we got back from the Maldives, it was Christmas, and we wanted to enjoy Christmas. Then, when the time was right, we were like, should we do it now? We were walking around telling everyone when we were on holidays in the Maldives – we were telling the whole resort!

Are you pleased with the ring?

I’ve started to make wedding folders on Instagram. I went right back because there was a dress I saved ages ago, and there was the exact ring he got me in June 2025 saved in one of the folders. I had saved that exact ring in my wedding folder. I don’t know if he went on my phone and saw that because I didn’t like the post either. He wouldn’t have seen that I liked it, so I don’t know if he knows me personally. It was crazy – he did it perfectly!

Has going back to Australia over Christmas made you want to move back there?

I absolutely love Australia, especially this time of the year. Australia is a beautiful place in itself, and when it’s summertime there and winter here, I want to move back. I obviously love my family a lot, but come summertime in the UK, I do think there’s something so special about England. Will’s got his commitment on the farm, so as soon as spring hits, we’ve got to be here.

Are there any All Stars who could follow in your and Will’s footsteps and go down the aisle?

It’s hard to tell – Millie and Zac seem like a really great couple, and the same with Samie and Cieran. What I’ve noticed about this Love Island All Stars is that the solid couples aren’t getting a lot of screentime, so it feels like you’re just following along with the drama. It doesn’t feel like we’re seeing the falling-in-love aspect just yet. Perhaps, when we get closer to the final, we’ll start seeing that. At the moment, you can’t tell because they’re not getting the screentime.

Millie only split from her ex Liam last year – do you think she’s properly moved on?

I’m really happy for Millie. I feel like going through a breakup is tough, and going into dating after a breakup is so tough. Love Island is that perfect way to force yourself back into dating because you’re in that villa, isolated from the world, and you don’t have to worry about running into your ex. Obviously, if she fears he’s coming in, that would be interesting to watch as a viewer. I think, good on Millie – whether Zac is the man she marries and stays with forever, or even if it’s something short-term, good on her for going back in there.

Is it difficult to separate filming a TV show and actual real feelings?

100%. In the villa, people do think it’s not real life or feelings. But in an environment like that, that’s when things can really get to you because you’re so isolated from the outside world. The emotions in the villa can be really heightened. People can go in there for a laugh and really switch off their emotions; however, it’s not like that for everyone. In those situations, it’s important to listen to the Islanders. The Islanders need to be there for each other.

There’s always a lot of talk about the behind the scenes secrets in the villa – was there anything in the South African villa that viewers might not know about? Secrets rooms etc

There is a secret room – you might see it briefly on TV, but it’s the larder. In the kitchen, there’s that door where producers can quickly call people in, pop snacks in, or if you want to try and get off camera for a second, you can sneak into that room. They also put all the drink bottles in there and refill them during the day. Everyone always loses their drink bottles, so if you do, it pops back up in that room.

A lot of us in the villa, if we needed a second out because there are no cameras in there, would use it like a storage cupboard – you run in when you need your bottle, but you can just chill in there. If you have secret conversations, it’s a good place, but producers are on it, as they do hear you all the time. As much as people try to cover their mics and whisper, they’d be able to track you down. I would say the larder has more secrecy than the toilets, as there are cameras in the toilets!

How did you find not having any privacy?

The intensity of the villa does get to you. When I went on Love Island UK, I actually found it really intense. Love Island Australia, back in season two, was a lot more chilled because it was only the second season. It was so raw and chilled. I was also really young, so I thought it was really fun. When I did Love Island UK, I found it really intense. I think the personalities in there, and everyone being your friend one moment then switching up, really shocked me.

With the conversations, there was nothing I didn’t want on camera. The most annoying thing about being on Love Island is that you’re scared to fart for six weeks. That’s hard to get used to.

What were the main differences between Love Island UK and Australia?

I found it so different! Love Island Australia – I hadn’t actually watched the show either. It was season two, so no one knew what to expect. By season eight, people figure out there’s a direct format. I’d only watched one season of Love Island UK, and that was Molly-Mae’s series. When I was in the villa there, people would comment on what was next, like the beach club was coming up. Some people in the villa knew the format, and they could almost exactly predict what was happening, when a bombshell was coming in, and who they’d compare them to. There was definitely a lot more structure to how the days run in Love Island UK. They had it figured out – the boys and girls were in different places; when you were doing the beach hut, it was like a time schedule and very regimented. When I did the Australian version, it was literally roaming around the villa and very chilled.

Which version did you prefer?

If Will was in my Australian version, that would have been my dream. I obviously had Will in the UK version, which was amazing and changed my whole entire life, but Love Island Australia genuinely felt like a holiday. When I look back at that experience, I have nothing but happy, good emotions. I look back at the cast and think about how much I loved and adored them.

However, when I look back at the UK one, when everyone turned on me, that left a bitter taste in my mouth. Love Island UK – it was an amazing experience; however, for me, it was intense. I don’t know if that’s because I was the only Australian coming on. I always used to get comments from people in there.

There seems to be some tension between the girls this year – how difficult is that to navigate when you’re in there?

It’s so hard to navigate when you feel isolated or feel that people are against you. You have nowhere to go and no one to talk to. You can go rant to the producers, but not everyone enjoys that. I do feel like it can be lonely in there if you think people are coming for you. Emotions are so heightened there. I know people watch the show and question why people are crying, but it’s because you’ve got nothing else in your face for the whole 24 hours. They’re the only people you’re with – there’s no phone or TV. With that, you have to deal with it. If you feel people don’t like you at the time, it can feel so much worse.

When someone turns on or gangs up on someone, they don’t realise the isolated other person feels. It’s nice when people finally sort their stuff out. It’s just a crazy ride of emotions.

Do you think it’s easy for the Islanders to form cliques with each other?

I think it’s really easy for people to dwell on really small things in the villa. When you’ve got no other distraction in there, you just talk about the same situations over and over again. It comes down to the different types of personalities in there, and some people don’t let go of things. Some people like to talk about things, and when you’ve got nothing else to talk about, you’re going over the same situations 10 times with the same people, so it adds this big build-up. You can also hear everything in the villa, so then this person knows this person is talking about me. It’s great for developing drama, though!

Do you think there’s anything we’re not seeing behind the scenes?

I definitely think there are little things going on off-camera. I don’t think these things would be big and dramatic. They can be small things, like an eye roll at lunch. You’re not filming at lunch, so people can make little comments that can annoy other people, and it’s really difficult for people to convey that they’re annoyed because it happened at lunch. That actually happened a lot on our series. Little, small things that producers don’t think are worth the airtime, but that keep happening, are what can annoy people the most.

Were there any moments where you wanted to leave the villa for good?

It was really intense, and towards the end of it, I was really over it. There were only a few more days left, but after the whole Casa Amor drama and the argument with Liv Hawkins, I was over it. For me, once I’m over something, it’s done. When we left, it was a sigh of relief to go home.

What would your advice be to any of the couples for making a relationship a success post-villa?

I would say give each other your time first before going out and partying with all the Islanders. Go on your date nights and see your family. All the hype around the Islanders is going to be there in a few weeks’ time, so go home, see your family, and take that slow, quiet time for yourselves before going into that London life.

Did you ever feel pressure to make it work with Will?

I think for us, realistically, there wasn’t any pressure. The pressure to make it work was elevated a little bit because I’m Australian. We always had the option that if things didn’t work out, I could go back to Australia for a bit. If it didn’t work, it was a great excuse to say I was homesick and not staying in England. If we didn’t want to make it work, we always had an excuse.

But what happened to us in Casa Amor made us realise that we didn’t want to lose each other, so we did want to put the hard work in to make it right. It was important because when you’re in a fresh relationship and you come out of the villa, you’re learning what each other are like. The villa is a real relationship, but when you come out of the villa, there’s so much more to it – like girls and boys in the DMs, and you learn about each other’s exes. When we came out, we just had to focus on each other and get that trust; then we could focus on having fun again.

How do you think you coped with the fame aspect of coming out of the villa?

The UK loves Love Island, and I was a bit oblivious to that. When I came out, loads of people came up and spoke to us, and everyone was so friendly. Being an Australian living on the other side of the world, having people come up to you in the shopping centre made it feel like home a lot sooner. I’m from a small town – you go down the straight and know everyone. Being on the other side of the world, and people would come up and chit-chat, it was all love, which was lovely. In the UK, it seems like Love Island brings people together, and people genuinely do love watching it, which is really sweet.

It does break my heart when people come and get so much hate. It also breaks my heart when people go on there and do stupid things on TV, knowing how the public are going to respond as a viewer. For the people who aren’t getting a positive response, first of all, it’s important to take accountability if you’ve done something wrong. It’s important you do learn from that because generally the public are quite smart. If you’ve pissed everyone off, there’s a reason, so have a bit of self-reflection. Just remind yourself that the way things are right now, it’s not how it’s going to be forever. Go home and spend time with your family, ground yourself. If you want to continue your career in social media, it’s really important to take that accountability.

What do you think of people who come out and blame the editing of the show for the way they came across?

Look, there definitely are some editing things when you watch it and question whether it played out like that. But at the end of the day, if the words come out of your mouth, they come out of your mouth. You have to take accountability and can’t blame everything on the edit. It’s important to own it. We all get pissed off and talk about people behind their backs every now and again, but own it, apologise, and move forward. If you’re going to blame it on the edit, you could go on Love Island again, and the same situation is going to happen.

How did you maintain villa friendships after the show?

What I found really difficult about maintaining villa friendships is that the UK is really big. Where Will and I are, we’re so isolated. Whenever I see Samie, Tanya, Lana, or Rosie in London, you forget how long you’ve been apart. Whenever I see them, it’s always the same, and I really value those relationships. But I know not all friendships are like that. It’s hard because people are in different places.

You do see friendships form after the villa, which I’ve noticed on the show, and sometimes the group is not what you expected. Sometimes when people come off, random groups start to form. I think it comes down to where you live.

Is there anyone from Love Island that you would like to see on All Stars?

I actually messaged Tanya and said, ‘Girl, you better be going on All Stars.’ She only just responded, saying her time has passed. I’m really upset that she didn’t get to go on All Stars because Shaq left. Come on, producers – why are you letting her ex ruin her experience? I would love to see Tanya, Zara, Lana – anyone from my season I would champion.

You’ve previously spoken about being proposed to – how did it feel for this to be the real deal?

He actually proposed at the accommodation we were staying at, then hired people to come in to set it up when we were out for the day. Because it was at our accommodation, I had absolutely no idea; then when we walked in, the first thing I heard was the violin playing, and I was like, oh my God. I continued to walk down, and I saw all the flowers set out everywhere. I was in shock, and there were photographers everywhere, which is when I realised he was proposing.

Is anyone playing a game this series?

With All Stars, the Islanders know they’re in a villa with so many big personalities. So many people know each other outside of the villa as well, so egos can come into it. With All Stars, you have to make an impact, and some people might know that this is their last time on a Love Island, and they’ve just got the attitude of ‘they’re going to go for it’.

Is it easy to go in with a game plan considering they’ve been on the show before?

I think going on for the second time can go two ways. For myself, I got very fed up with being in the villa very quickly because I’d done it before, so the excitement wasn’t there. Islanders can get fed up and not want to participate in things like the challenges because you think, ‘Oh my God, I don’t have to do this.’ Or it can be the other way around – if they’re strong-minded and patient people, you can have a game plan. But somewhere like the Love Island villa, if you’re there for six to eight weeks, surely that’s so hard – to put on an act and not get fed up.

It can go two ways – if you’re the type of person to get fed up and bothered, you have that attitude. I kind of see that with Samie and Cieran – they can’t be bothered to put on a façade and are rolling their eyes at the other Islanders. Samie owned it the other night with Lucinda. She’s not there to mess around; she doesn’t want to bullshit. But it can go the other way, and people can go in to stir the pot.

Whose side do you think you could be on if you were in the villa?

The truth is, I would absolutely try my best to remain composed with everyone. However, when I was in Love Island, everyone came at me at times. I didn’t expect that, and I did try to be friends with everyone. There’s no saying that when you’re in the villa, you don’t end up taking sides, but I think the way Samie has composed herself is impressive. She got into an argument the other night, but she was pushed to her limits. The way Samie was involved in the drama and sat Lucinda down to have a conversation with her – that’s diplomatic. Samie got dragged into the drama anyway, so it shows that anyone can get dragged in.

Have you started thinking about the wedding yet and how you would like it to be? Will the wedding be in the UK or back home?

We have started thinking about it. The wedding venue obviously – is it going to be in Australia or Tasmania, or is it going to be in the UK? That’s what we have to sort. I definitely know I want a beautiful, outdoor summer wedding. We just have to try and work out where.

The planning process is going to be fun. We’re going to have a look at venues in both places and see if something stands out to us. We’re actually quite considering a destination wedding as well. We love travelling so we’re considering doing a destination wedding because either way our family members are going to have to travel.

Which islanders from your series are you still in touch with and will any of them be coming to the wedding?

I’m not sure – I haven’t spoken to anyone in a while. If we keep it small and intimate, we’ll keep it close to friends and family.

How do you think Samie’s coming across on the show? Is she the same in real life?

With Samie, what you see is what you get. She’s a lovely girl, but if you annoy her, she’s straight to the point. She’s the type of friend that will pull you up and be honest. Sometimes people take that in different ways and don’t deal well with it, but I personally love having a friend who is straight to the point and honest.

How do you think she’s handling the Lucinda drama? What’s the situation with Samie and Lucinda before the show?

It’s really crazy to see the Lucinda drama because they were friends on the outside. I won’t say they were best friends, but it’s really weird seeing people who have got along, gone on brand trips, and had fun together, not stand each other. I think it’s so bizarre! It goes to show what happens when you put all the Islanders in one place.

Lucinda has previously claimed to have forgotten certain things she’s said in the villa – does that often happen when you’re filming the show?

Everyone responds differently. Some people don’t necessarily understand what they’re saying. When people say, ‘I don’t remember,” I think it’s a reflex. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you don’t remember, but when you’re doing that on national television and there’s proof

Do you think Samie and Ciaran will work outside the villa?

I hope so. Cieran was in a relationship with Nicola, and they were together for a while. He seems like he’s very much a relationship person. It would be lovely to see them stay together, but at the same time, if they don’t work out, they’re both young and gorgeous – you might see them on All Stars again!