Jessie Wynter claims ‘there are things viewers aren’t seeing on Love Island All Stars’
Wynter opens up about off-camera tension, secret talks and ‘bitter’ memories
Former villa star lifts the lid on what really happens on the ITV2 show – and why leaving the ‘intense’ South African villa was a ‘sigh of relief’ for her
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.
Jessie also shares the one villa spot for secret conversations’ – plus why leaving the South African villa was a ‘sigh of relief’.
Speaking to Joe Fortune, Love Island star Jessie Wynter shares:
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?
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.
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.
Do you think there’s anything we’re not seeing behind the scenes on All Stars?
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.
What were the main differences between Love Island UK and Australia?
I found it so different! Love Island Australia – 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 – is that difficult to navigate when you’re in the villa?
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.. 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, 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!
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.