Shaughna Phillips from season six of ITV's Love Island has talked to The Mirror, sharing her thoughts on this years All Stars, with an exclusive prediction on who will win and why.
Ex-contestant Shaughna starred on the 2020 series alongside best friend Paige Turley, Luke Mabbot and Siannise Fudge. Currently 're-coupled' with her partner Billy Webb, Shaughna talked on this years series being about giving love another shot, as well as teaching girls to stand their ground on matters of forgiveness. Most interestingly, the Love Island star talked about the difference between the All Stars series compared to the normal show and how that will change the nature of tonight's vote.
Calling previous winner Ekin-Su "TV gold", Shaughna believes the star has already guaranteed the public's vote - with Curtis Pritchard on her arm or not - due to her popularity on the eighth season of the show. "With All Stars, it's literally whether viewers like you or not. I don't think fans really care about the strongest couple, only if they like you" as an individual," she said.
Shaughna joked Ekin-Su needs to be studied, branding her "Love Island folklore!" who has done more than producers to fan the flames of drama on the second All Star series..She said: "1000% she needs to be in the TV credits because she doesn't need any producing at all. The work rate she does, she must go to bed absolutely knackered".
Shaughna reckons Ekin has the star power to have a future with the show similar to Maura Higgins, starred on last series of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! and recently bagged a huge contract with Mac cosmetics.
However, when it comes to finding lasting romance on the show, Shaughna doesn't feel Ekin-Su has met her match in Curtis."Do I think [Ekin and Curtis] are going to be the next Posh and Becks? No I don't. Do I think they're going to last more than a month? No I don't. But could they win it? Yeah they could win it because they're great TV".
Phillips also shared how much she prefers the All Stars season to the original, saying she's "not sure whether its because [she's] done it before but from episode one [of All Stars] you're kind of starting from where you left off". The star explains how the viewer doesn't need to get to know anyone and that there is "already drama from day one, making it a fun watch". "They all understand the assignment" said Shaughna, on the current contestants, "and I don't think any of them are trying to win the public over" - "they've already learned how it works".
Now a mother to daughter Lucia, Shaughna also shared her thoughts on Ronnie Vint and Harriet Blackmore reuniting, saying its a testament to girls to be unafraid to "treat them mean to keep them keen", suggesting that Harriet made a good example to young girls about forgiveness whilst also making ex work to win her back. "Sometimes you have to treat them mean to keep them keen and kind of leave them to do what they want and until they come back, [they can work to earn it]".
On watching Luca and Grace, Shaughna admitted she "doesn't really listen to what they're saying" because she thinks Grace is "so beautiful - I just stare at her". The season six contestant opened up about how she thinks about what she "needs to do to look like that" when blonde bombshell Grace is on the screen. She wondered why Luca continued to reiterate Sammie was his type (implying Grace was not), and came to the conclusion that, "to boys, if their usual type is brunettes and they go for blondes, they think its ground-breaking and should be studied by scientists!". She jokingly added that Luca's attempts to reassure Grace came across as: "Don't worry, I've broken the mould with you!".
She went on to talk about her own experience living inside the villa, exposing the producers use of a tannoy that her and her fellow contestants dubbed the 'voice of God' which would instruct contestants to avoid areas where couples would be staged to have their chats. She said: "If Finn and Paige were on the day beds and I was to go over to join them, "the 'voice of God' would say "don't go there, go somewhere else" - people don't see that on TV". When asked whether the producers could be against a wall or seen poking over, Shaughna confirmed saying "yeah, they are".
Shaughna also shared how she chose to not watch her own series back as "she had friendships in there" and did not want to see some that she liked say something about her "three weeks ago and then get the hump over it" after. "What was I supposed to do? Text them saying "why did you say that about me"?" said then mother, preferring bygones to be bygones.
Previous to Ronnie and Harriet's departure from the show, Phillips said that Ronnie appeared to be "head over heels" for his soon-to-be girlfriend but that though they know what went wrong between them, she "does not always condone [getting back with an ex]". Believing in their chances as a couple, she joked that the boys "always crap their pants when it's the girls doing it," referring to getting to know other islanders, implying that Ronnie became aware of the possibility of losing Harriet to other boys in the villa.
