Love Island launch and Maya Jama debut in chaos over gale force winds

Gale force winds have swept in across the South African villa’s pool and garden, threatening to cause chaos on Love Island 2023's launch night tonight.

There were blasts of 50mph winds hitting the newly-built £1.2million mansion in Cape Town, as crew members tried to film the opening scenes with presenter Maya Jama.

It came after new host Maya, 28, made her epic arrival at the show via helicopter, which viewers will see for the first time on Monday 16 January.

But when the evening came, islanders were said to be "shivering" around the firepit trying to stay warm, while Maya attempted to avoid suffering a wardrobe mishap in a slinky dress as the wind increased.

It's also believed "every department" was affected by the stormy weather, with sound engineers struggling to record clear audio for the show's opening scenes.

A source told The Sun: “ITV have big plans for this series to be more epic than ever, and were really excited about Maya’s big arrival on the helicopter so thank God that footage was all in the can before the winds crept up. But by the time it came to filming in the evening it had really kicked up a gear. It caused mayhem.

"Every department was affected — sound, lighting, cameras, wardrobe."

They added: "And poor Maya could’ve done without the worry of her dress whipping up on her first day on set. None of the Islanders expected to be shivering around the fire pit either, but it came into its own.”

OK! approached ITV for comment.

It comes after Maya was seen arriving by helicopter in a teaser for the new series, with a pilot saying: "Maya Jama on board!"

As Maya walks into the villa, she is seen saying: "It’s a new year, in a brand new Villa, it's a stunning location ready for some sexy singles looking for love, all we need now are some Islanders."

Maya then greets the singletons, as she says: "Hello boys, you alright, shall we have a little chat?”

The former radio presenter will be stepping into ex host Laura Whitmore's shoes to present the show for the first time.

Ex-Islander Indiyah Polack and former Made in Chelsea star Sam Thompson will be the brand new Love Island podcast hosts, and will be featuring regularly as panellists on Love Island: Aftersun.

Many will recall Sam, 30, jumping on his Instagram stories as he watched last year's summer series, and he shared about his new venture: "It feels like I’m with my family and we’re all in it together and I really like it.

"We’re all massive fans of the show and it’s really, really nice."

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