The new series of Love Island will begin on June 28, ITV has announced.

The start date has been pushed back slightly amid Covid restrictions, with past series starting in early June.

The show will see sexy singletons pull each other for a chat and couple up with their type on paper as they battle it out to be crowned champions and win a cash prize.

Earlier this month, Laura Whitmore sounded the alarm for the return of the popular show with the first teaser for the new series.

The host swings a pink mallet to smash the heart-shaped glass on an alarm, which reads: “In case of Love Island, crack on.”

Dressed in a red jumpsuit and sunglasses, Whitmore, who recently gave birth to her first child with husband Iain Stirling, the show’s narrator, smiles at the camera before taking a swing.  

The 10-second promo ends with with the words: “This is not a drill!”

Love Island contestants will be offered “a minimum of eight therapy sessions” on their return home from appearing in the series, ITV has said.

Duty of care protocols

All contestants involved in the ITV2 reality TV series will also receive training on the impact of social media and “how to handle potential negativity”, as well as training on financial management.

The measures are part of ITV’s duty of care protocols announced ahead of the seventh series.

In 2019 The Jeremy Kyle Show was axed from ITV’s schedules amid growing scrutiny of the duty of care that reality TV shows have to participants following the death of a contestant, and Love Island also faced criticism following the deaths of former contestants Sophie Gradon and Mike Thalassitis.

Among the processes detailed for all contributors on Love Island are “comprehensive psychological support”, “detailed conversations on the impact of participation on the show” and a “proactive aftercare package”, the broadcaster said.

ITV has also detailed pre-filming and filming, as well as aftercare processes for contestants.

Pre-filming stipulations include contestants “disclosing any medical history” that would be relevant to their time in the villa, as well as the “managing of expectations of the cast”.

Dorset Echo: New measures are part of ITV’s duty of care protocols announced ahead of the seventh series. (PA/ITV)New measures are part of ITV’s duty of care protocols announced ahead of the seventh series. (PA/ITV)

Aftercare procedures also include “proactive contact with Islanders for a period of 14 months after the series in which they have appeared has ended, with additional help provided where applicable”.

Dr Paul Litchfield, who was appointed by ITV in 2018 when it launched a review of Love Island’s participant welfare processes, said: “Society’s appreciation of the importance of mental health and wellbeing has grown enormously in recent years and the pandemic has brought that into even sharper focus.

“Reducing the risk of harm, where possible, is an imperative but promoting good mental health is also necessary. ITV’s evolving commitment to these issues, backed up by tangible action, is an example to others in the industry and beyond.”

This year’s series will once again be hosted by Laura Whitmore, and it will be the first time the ITV programme has aired since February 2020 after last year’s summer series was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.