Exclusive:Love Island star Shaughna Phillips reveals why series 12 is best so far - and her advice for 'exclusive' Meg and Dejon
Former Love Island star Shaughna Phillips opens up on why Love Island has hit a new high with series 12 - plus who she could see taking the crown this year.
Love Island series 12 is wrapping a close soon, with fans raving over the latest series of the hit ITV reality dating show. From shocking dumpings and recouplings, to wandering eyes and heads turning, the show has hooked viewers in once again with its never-ending source of drama.
Ex-islander Shaughna Phillips spoke to NationalWorld in an exclusive chat on behalf of Card Player and gave her thought on the show’s 10th anniversary series. Shaughna, who appeared in the sixth season of the show in 2020, said: “I think it’s been great! I mean, it’s been the 10-year series so we were definitely expecting fireworks.
“There’s also been less challenges and more twists and turns. As a viewer, that’s been great because we all like to see the odd challenge here and there, but they don’t actually make any difference to the storyline. Whereas the twists and turns that they’ve added this year, the dramatic effect is just unmatched.”
As for standout moments this series, Shaughan joined Love Island viewers in being hooked into the love triangles that have powered this year’s drama. She said: “The word of the series has been ‘triangle’. Every single person in there has been in a triangle at some point. It’s the shape of the series!”
Shaughna is no stranger to iconic villa moments, having famously uttered ‘congrats, hun...’ after her then-villa partner Callum Jones shocked fans and his fellow islanders by bringing Molly Smith back from Casa Amor. As for iconic moments this series?
“The whole situation with Harrison, Toni and Lauren. I was actually quite impressed with how the girls handled that,” Shaughna said. “The girls have had their own issues this series and that could’ve turned really nasty and it didn’t. What I liked personally to see is instead of turning against each other, they turned on Harrison which was just great.”
Series 12 has become a fan-favourite installment of the ITV2 dating show not only for the drama, but for the lack of “solid couples” in the villa with fans still unsure of a standout winning couple just days before the final airs. Shaughna gave her thoughts, and explained who has impressed her so far, saying: “It is completely still up in the air. I think this will be the closest vote in years because there are no clear winners. I like that though, it’s keeping us all hooked!
“I really like Yas. I think she is real, she doesn’t mince her words, she doesn’t look like she’s putting an act on, she is just who she is. I also really like Cach. Cach is such a lovely guy. So either of their couples.
“But then the thing is, it’s not just one person in a couple and I don’t know whether Toni or Jamie have enough pull to swing it. I honestly have no idea! I genuinely have no idea who could win it, which is the sign of a good series.”
While there has been little solid connections formed in the villa this year, there is one couple who have appeared to speed-run their Love Island relationship. Meg and Dejon have made it exclusive, with Dejon dropping the L-bomb in recent days. Despite taking big steps in their relationship, some fans remain unconvinced of their true connection following Dejon previous wandering eye.
Shaughna has also issued some advice to the islanders on making it “exclusive” inside the villa, saying: “I think the worst thing you can do in there is make it official as in ‘boyfriend-girlfriend’. Because you have no idea what life is going to be like on the outside. Although you can come back out and you’re all in on one person, you should definitely try and stay single until you are outside because the circumstances are just so, so different.”
She added: “You are only in control of yourself. The work opportunities for girls and boys when you come out are so different. Boys often get so many personal appearance opportunities and they’re coming out, they’re being bombarded with girls, drink, money. It’s great, but it’s not great if you’re in a relationship. So I would stay single for as long as possible.”
Love Island, which first aired as we know it in 2015, has faced criticism from some fans who labeled the show as tired and boring before the start of this year’s series, but viewers have flooded back in to the show with an uptick in social media interest as drama kicked off in the famous villa.
Shaughna said: “I don’t know another show on telly that is quite like it. And I know there’s a conversation every single year that goes ‘Oh is it not time for Love Island to take a break?’. But they pull in the viewers every single time, they hook us every single time. So no, I don’t think it is time.”
Love Island continues at 9pm on ITV2 and ITVX from Sunday to Friday. The Series 12 final takes place at 9pm on Monday, August 4.