EXCLUSIVE: Love Island star Sammy Root has shared some of the behind-the-scenes secrets from the ITV2 dating show, including a ‘disgusting’ game he and his co-star would play
When you think of Love Island, it’s all slow-mo walks, high-stakes recouplings, and those infamous firepit showdowns. But according to former Islander Sammy Root, what really goes on behind the scenes is just as juicy — and honestly, a lot weirder.
Sammy, 23, who shot to fame on Love Island 2023 and returned for the All Stars spin-off, has spilled the tea on what life in the villa is actually like once the cameras stop rolling. And let’s just say, the boys weren’t exactly sitting around meditating while the girls spent hours getting glammed up.
“You don’t realise how long it takes!” Sammy laughs. “Sometimes more than two hours — seriously. We’d be sat there like, ‘What are they even doing?!’”
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But instead of moaning (well, aside from a bit of that too), Sammy and the lads found creative — and slightly gross — ways to kill time. “Me and Casey had this game on All Stars — it was kind of disgusting, but hilarious. There was this earwax gel stuff, and we’d try to throw it into each other’s mouths. Casey actually got it in mine once — funniest moment of the whole thing!”
It’s exactly this kind of villa chaos that viewers never get to see — the off-camera antics, the low-key boredom, and the very strange ways Islanders keep themselves entertained. “I just liked to keep spirits high and have a laugh,” Sammy explains. “That’s all we could really do while we waited.”
Born in Kent and now living life as a full-time content creator and reality TV fave, Sammy is known for his cheeky charm, trademark curls and his Love Island win with ex Jess Harding. Since then, he’s returned to our screens for All Stars, where he reunited with familiar faces — and sparked new friendships.
When asked who’d be in his dream All Stars villa, he didn’t hesitate. “All the boys — Casey, Tom, Omar, Ronnie. But number one? Tyrique. From my first season, me and him were like best pals. One of the only people I still speak to daily. A friend for life.”
And that, he says, is what Love Island is really about. “Everyone goes on about the relationships, but the friendships are just as real. You’re with these people 24/7. It’s intense. I was in there for eight weeks the first time, then a month for All Stars. You bond in a way that just doesn’t happen on the outside.”
One major surprise for fans? There’s no music in the villa. “That shocked me the most,” he admits. “I’m a massive music guy — I’ve always got tunes on. The only time we heard any was during the kissing challenge, when you’re blindfolded and wearing headphones. I remember I was more excited about the music than who I was kissing!”
And on those rare “down days” — the ones where filming paused and the villa was off-duty? The creativity ramped up. “We once played rounders with a plastic orange and used a pillow as a bat,” he laughs. “That was the vibe.”
With his signature mischief and down-to-earth charm, it’s no wonder fans are still rooting for Sammy post-Island. And if ITV ever calls again? You better believe he’s got his dream team lined up — and probably a few more bizarre games to play too.
As for what we still don’t see from the villa? Sammy says it best: “It’s a bubble. A really weird, fun, intense bubble — and trust me, the madness you see on screen is only half the story.”
Love Island 2025 airs every night at 9PM on ITV2 and ITVX. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.