Former Love Island champion Jess Harding has delivered a pointed critique of her ex-boyfriend Sammy Root's behaviour on the show's All Stars edition, just as she prepares to enter the villa herself for the 2026 series.
Jess Harding's Blunt Assessment of Ex's All Stars Stint
The 25-year-old, who won the 2023 series with Sammy Root before their split months later, did not hold back when discussing his time on All Stars' second series. Speaking to The Sun, Jess suggested Sammy was not fully transparent during his search for love.
"I think he was very much stuck to Elma that whole time," Jess remarked, referring to Sammy's partner Elma Pazar, with whom he finished in fifth place. "He didn’t really go and explore those options like he did when he was with me. So, I think he realised that’s how – you know – to go and chat to girls, not in the right way but being transparent."
She added that during her original Love Island experience, she felt others were not open with her, and observed that Sammy played it "a lot cooler" on his All Stars appearance.
All Stars Launch Postponed Due to Wildfires
Jess was due to enter the South African villa this week, with the first episode scheduled for Monday. However, ITV announced a postponement of filming due to ongoing wildfires in the local area.
The broadcaster released a statement confirming the delay: "Further to a production evacuation owing to ongoing wildfires in the area, our assessment of the location site has concluded that filming will need to be postponed. Health and safety is our greatest priority and will always come first, and therefore the transmission of Love Island: All Stars will be delayed until a date to be confirmed."
A source told The Mirror that crew members were "understandably worried" but were being supported by welfare teams and instructed to remain in their hotels.
No Bad Blood Ahead of Villa Return
Despite her candid comments, Jess clarified that she bears no ill will towards her ex or other Islanders from the 2023 cast. She stated she "wouldn't mind" if Sammy entered the villa again, emphasising there is "no bad blood."
Jess will be joined in the postponed All Stars series by other notable former contestants including Whitney Adebayo, Millie Court, Ciaran Davies, and Shaq Muhammad. Host Maya Jama is set to return to present the show when it eventually airs on ITV2 and ITVX later this year.
Sammy Root and Elma Pazar's romance, which blossomed on All Stars, ended after approximately four months, with their breakup later featuring on TOWIE.
