Most of the Love Island 2026 villa has been smoking or vaping off camera, according to dumped contestant Namibia, who has named the Islanders using nicotine behind the scenes.
The ITV2 series no longer shows smoking or vaping on screen, but Namibia said nicotine use was widespread during her time in the villa.
Appearing on the Spill With Will podcast, she was asked who had been vaping.
“Sorry guys if you’re mad at me for telling everyone, but pretty much everybody [was],” she said. “Ope, Victoria, Jasmine, Sam, Lola and Fitz were the only ones who didn’t. Everyone else did.”
According to The Tab, based on the Islanders in the villa with Namibia, that would mean Priya, Kavan, Angelista, Aidan, Yasmine, Samraj, Ellie, Lorenzo, Mica and Robyn were smoking or vaping, as well as Namibia herself.
Namibia was also asked whether anyone was using snus. She said: “Simba used snus yeah, the rest just vaped or smoked.”
She did not say which Islanders smoked cigarettes and which used vapes, meaning the full split between smoking and vaping is still unclear.
Strict off-screen rules
The revelation shows nicotine use remains part of villa life, even though viewers no longer see it on screen.
Love Island’s smoking rules changed after earlier series drew criticism for showing contestants smoking together in the villa. Since 2018, smoking and vaping have been kept off camera.
Contestants who want to smoke or vape are understood to have to ask producers and use a designated area away from the main filmed parts of the villa. They are also only allowed to go one at a time, to stop unaired conversations developing away from the cameras.
The system means nicotine use can continue behind the scenes, while the programme avoids showing smoking or vaping as part of the main villa storyline.
From smoking area to hidden habit
The current approach marks a major shift from earlier Love Island series, when the smoking area was regularly shown on screen and often became a place for gossip, tension and key conversations.
A study of series three found tobacco imagery appeared in 204 one-minute intervals across 1,001 minutes of content, around 20 per cent of the footage analysed. Researchers estimated the series generated 559 million tobacco impressions among UK viewers, including 47 million among children under 16.
That background helps explain why producers now keep smoking and vaping out of sight. But former contestants’ comments suggest the behaviour itself has not disappeared.
Earlier this year, former All Stars contestant Charlie Frederick made a similar claim about the All Stars villa, saying only Leanne Amaning did not smoke, vape or use snus. Former contestants Olivia Hawkins and Marcel Sommerville also previously described vaping as common during their series.
Why the distinction is important
The latest comments also blur together smoking, vaping and snus, even though they are different products with different risk profiles.
The NHS says vaping is less harmful than smoking because it exposes users to fewer toxins and at lower levels than cigarettes. It also says vaping is not risk-free and that non-smokers and young people under 18 should not take it up.
For broadcasters, the issue is how to avoid making nicotine use look glamorous without suggesting all nicotine products carry the same risks as smoking.
For now, Love Island’s answer is to keep nicotine off screen. But as soon as Islanders leave the villa, the question of who was smoking, vaping or using snus keeps becoming part of the story.
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