It was reported some Islanders had turned “nasty” over the three-part reunion special
We’ve had major Love Island withdrawals this summer, what with there being no new series for the first time in five years, so we’re super excited that some of the show’s biggest stars are reuniting for three special episodes called Love Island: What Happened Next.
Love Island success stories like Alex and Olivia Bowen, Molly-Mae Hague and Tommy Fury and Cara de la Hoyde and Nathan Massey are all expected to feature alongside popular Islanders including Curtis Pritchard, Wes Nelson and Dani Dyer.
It was reported earlier this year that some former contestants were at war over the limited places on the reunion shows but one Islander who definitely won’t be appearing on our screens again is Joe Garratt.
The 24-year-old, who recently went public with model Desiree Schlotz after splitting with Lucie Donlan last year, has revealed that he was asked to take part in the reunion specials but turned it down.
Why would he do that, we hear you ask? Well, according to Joe, he didn’t want it to seem “weird” that he’s no longer dating anyone from the show.
He explained, “They called up and asked to do a piece for the camera. I just said no.
“It’s hard to explain but… I’m appreciative of the show, but it’s one of those things where I’m not really with anyone on the show anymore.”
“People always expect you to be with someone on the show and if you’re not, they find it weird,” he added to OK!
“I didn’t want people to look at me being single and think, ‘that’s sad’.”
It seems Joe no longer has any cause for concern though after he was pictured strolling along the beach hand-in-hand with his new girlfriend Desiree during a romantic getaway to the Maldives.
It’s not known how long Joe and Desiree have been dating but it’s his first public relationship since calling it quits with Lucie four months after they reunited when they were both booted out of the Love Island villa.
Lucie is now dating 2020 Islander Luke Mabbott but it sounds like there’s no hard feelings between her and Joe.
“As long as she’s happy that’s all that really matters, that’s all I really care about. I think we had our time and it was amazing,” he told the same publication.
“It was a massive whirlwind obviously when you first come out and I’ll always cherish that with her because there’s no one else I experienced that with. We had our good times, we had our really good times. It’s just unfortunate that it ended but at the same time as long as she’s happy, that’s all I really care about now.”