The Love Island villa is inclusive to members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
“I’m dying for more queer representation on the show,” Love Island USA host Ariana Madix, who identifies as bisexual, told Cosmopolitan in June 2026. “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, a crop of singles must couple up in order to stay in the luxury tropical villa. Most pairings are between cisgender and heterosexual contestants, though there have been a handful of same-sex duos through the years.
“Queer people are a part of life,” Ariana stated. “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.”
Keep scrolling to see which LGBTQIA+ couples have appeared on Love Island — and where they stand after leaving the villa:
Sophie Gradon and Katie Salmon (Love Island UK Season 2)
Sophie and Katie made history on the franchise, becoming the first-ever women to couple up during the U.K. series in 2016. Days after the twosome recoupled, Sophie left the show because it was “the end of her journey.”
Katie later paired up with Adam Maxted, ending the show in fourth place. They ultimately split soon after leaving the villa.
Sophie died in June 2018 at the age of 32.
Phoebe Thompson and Cassie Lansdell (Love Island Australia Season 2)
Phoebe and Cassie coupled up during 2019’s second season of the Australian iteration of Love Island. Despite a sizzling spark, their romance ended after Cassie recoupled with bombshell Luke Packham.
“I was 100 percent ready to go,” Phoebe told Yahoo! Lifestyle of her exit. “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)
After Kassy and Johnnie both vied for Leo Dionicio’s heart during 2023’s season 5, they decided to pair up with each other.
“I honestly find you attractive, obviously, I just didn’t know if you felt like the attraction too and stuff,” Kassy confessed to Johnnie. “We joke around and stuff, but I didn’t know if it was really joking or not. I kept looking at you, I kept wanting to talk to you. I’m, like, low-key … bad [for you].”
Johnnie felt the same, revealing that she felt especially “comfortable” around Kassy.
The pair’s romance, however, did not last beyond the villa.
Megan Barton-Hanson and Kyra Green (Love Island Games Season 1)
During the inaugural season of Love Island Games in 2023, British bombshell Megan hit it off with American reality star Kyra and they decided to couple up. Days later, Megan withdrew from the show for undisclosed medical reasons.
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