Everything you need to know about Winter Love Island UK in 2023

After an epic season of Love Island Australia ended in December, there's some good news to kick off the new year – Love Island UK is coming back for a winter edition!

That's right, a bevy of hot, single Islanders will be jetting overseas in a bid to find love in Season 9 of the hottest dating show on TV.

Stream every episode ever of Love Island Australia and Love Island UK for free on 9Now.

Whether you're new to the series or a super fan ready to leap into another season, we've got you covered.

Here's everything you need to know about Season 9 of Love Island UK:

Love Island UK reveals new twist in 2023

For the first time ever, Love Island viewers will be given the chance to decide which Bombshell will be next to enter the Villa.

All you have to do is cast your vote on the Love Island app and you could change the course of Love Island history.

Of course, the Bombshell with the highest amount of votes will be chosen to enter the Villa.

Love Island has wasted no time getting viewers involved in its latest winter season, with viewers already able to vote for the next Bombshell.

Business development executive Ellie Spence and footballer Tom Clare are vying for a place in this year's South African Villa.

Ellie, 25, say she's "boy obsessed" and falls in love just as quickly as she falls out of it.

While Tom, 23, admits he's the type of football player that "scores on and off the pitch" and is ready to move on from his ex-girlfriend of three-and-a-half years.

When will Love Island UK Season 9 premiere?

The new season will launch in the UK on January 16, and episodes are being fast-tracked daily and made available to watch in Australia from January 18.

Episodes are dropping at 6.00pm AEDT daily on 9Now.

An online teaser on the official Instagram page confirmed the January launch earlier this month, alongside the caption: "We're ready to crack on!"

You can watch the trailer for the upcoming season in the video at the top of this article.

How can I watch Love Island UK in Australia?

While the season hasn't started yet, episodes will be available to watch for free on 9Now.

If you're a huge Love Island fan, then you'll be pleased to know that you can also stream every episode ever of Love Island UK and Love Island Australia on 9Now too.

Who is the host of the show?

Presenter Maya Jama was confirmed as the new host of Love Island UK last year.

The Glow Up and Walk The Line star replaces Laura Whitmore, who stepped down from hosting duties after Season 8 aired in 2022.

While the 28-year-old was rumoured to be a front-runner to replace Laura, it was finally confirmed on Love Island's official Instagram account.

"Okay, the rumours are true. Say hey to your brand-new #LoveIsland host @mayajama!" the caption read.

"I've always been such a massive Love Island fan and I'm so excited to be hosting one of the nation's favourite shows," Maya said in a press release.

"I can't wait to get into the Villa to meet all of the Islanders."

Who are the Islanders going in this year?

The new batch of Islanders have been announced, and you can see exactly who they are in the gallery below.

From a TikTok star with over a million followers to a celebrity makeup artist, it's fair to say there won't be a dull moment in the Villa when this gang meet in January.

Where is the show being filmed?

Like the previous winter series, the 2023 winter season will be filmed in South Africa.

The regular summer seasons are filmed in Majorca, Spain, but because of unreliable weather during the Spanish winter the show has a new home in January.

"After eight brilliant series, we are excited to be serving up two helpings of love in 2023 by kicking off in January at a stunning new villa in South Africa," Mike Spencer, Executive Producer at Lifted Entertainment said.

"We can look forward to more romances, bromances and everything in between as we embark on another epic year of love."

What is Love Island UK?

Love Island UK is a reality TV show that sees hot singles enter a stunning Villa in the hope of finding true love.

While the series usually starts with five girls and five boys, new Islanders are constantly rotated into and out of the Villa, sparking new connections and often new drama too.

How does the show work?

To remain in the Love Island Villa you need to be Coupled Up.

The show traditionally begins with the initial five boys and girls Coupling Up into pairs, with the idea being that boys and girls pair up with an Islander that they're interested in getting to know romantically.

Islanders will regularly be given the opportunity to change who they are Coupled Up with at Recoupling Ceremonies.

If an Islander is left single at the end of a Recoupling Ceremony, then there's a chance that they'll be Dumped from the Villa.

While Islanders who have failed to find love are forced to leave, new Islanders – named "Bombshells" – are constantly making their way into the Villa.

These new additions test old relationships and give Islanders who are struggling to form a connection new people to meet and see if they fancy.

Along the way the Islanders will compete in sexy and often messy challenges – which sometimes expose secrets and create drama – and go on cute dates to get to know one another better. That's right, the romance isn't forgotten.

Whether you're watching for love or drama, Love Island is great viewing, and it's why it's one of the most successful reality series of all time.

How is the winner decided?

As the show progresses single Islanders who fail to find love are Dumped, meaning only the most loved-up couples remain in the end.

When it's down to the final three or four couples, the power is then handed over to the UK public to vote for the winner. While they can vote for whoever they like, they're encouraged to vote for who they believe has found true love during their time in the Villa. The Australian version of the hit show follows the same format.

Usually, there is a "split or steal" twist in the show in which the two winners choose an envelope. While one contains nothing, the other grants an Islander £50,000 [approx. $88,000 AU]. 

The Islander who picks the envelope containing £50,000 must then choose: Love or money?

If they pick money, they keep the entirety of the cash prize for themselves, and most likely end their relationship.

But if they choose love, then they will split the money equally with their partner.

While this played out in the Love Island Australia 2022 finale, it was recently cut from the UK version.

Host Laura Whitmore explained at the time: "We're not even asking them to choose between love or money, but who that winning couple will be is all down to you."

What happened during the last season of Love Island UK's winter edition?

The first ever series of winter Love Island UK aired at the start of 2020.

It was the first series to see Laura head up the ITV2 show as host, following the tragic death of the show's former presenter Caroline Flack.

Paige Turley and Finley Tapp won the series in February 2020, and split their £50,000 [approx. $88,000 AUD] prize money between them.

The couple are still in a happy relationship, and will celebrate their three-year anniversary in February.

Who is the voice of the show?

Scottish comedian Iain Stirling is the voice of the hit series.

He has a reputation for hilarious voice overs which poke light-hearted fun at the Islanders on the show. 

The 34-year-old has been the narrator for the show since its beginning in 2015, and is married to former Love Island UK host Laura.

Who is still together from Love Island UK 2022?

The summer edition of the franchise aired in June last year, and saw Ekin-Su Culculoglu and Davide Sanclimenti crowned as the winners.

They are still in a happy relationship today, and even starred in their own spin-off TV show titled Ekin-Su & Davide: Homecomings.

Indiyah Polack and Dami Hope are also still happier than ever, as are Tasha Ghouri and Andrew Le Page. How sweet!

Stream every episode ever of Love Island UK and Love Island Australia for free on 9Now.