On 4 May 2020, Love Island announced the cancellation of the summer 2020 show due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Kevin Lygo, ITV's Director of Television said in a statement: "We have tried every which way to make Love Island this summer but logistically it's just not possible to produce it in a way that safeguards the wellbeing of everyone involved and that for us is the priority. In normal circumstances we would be preparing very soon to travel out to the location in Mallorca to get the villa ready but clearly that's now out of the question." It was later confirmed that the show would not be airing a winter version of the series in 2021 due to uncertainties regarding the pandemic and international travel. On 4 March 2021, ITV confirmed that Love Island would return in the summer after an 18-month hiatus. An eighth series was announced at the end of series seven in August 2021 and began airing the following summer on 6 June 2022. Also in June 2022, ITV announced that two series would air in 2023, with one airing in the New Year in South Africa and the second returning to Mallorca in its usual summer slot. On 22 August, Whitmore announced that she would not be returning to host the show's ninth series in January 2023. On 12 October 2022, ITV2 announced that Maya Jama would be taking over from Whitmore as Love Island host.
