Love Island 2025 winner Toni Laites has criticised this year's Casa Amor twist, calling it a 'waste' and claiming contestants failed to maximise the segment's potential. The American bombshell, who made history last summer by winning alongside Casa Amor lad Cach Mercer, shared her verdict at ITV's Reality Showcase.
Toni Laites: 'It Was a Bit of a Waste'
Speaking at the event, Laites said: 'It was a bit of a waste. Everyone retracted all of their Casa love immediately [after] getting back into the main villa. They thought it was, like, an all inclusive vacation over there.' She noted that while some of the most solid couples broke up during the post-Casa recoupling, the boys ditched their Casa Amor partners almost immediately after returning.
Quick Dumping of Casa Amor Partners
Original girls Angelista Gunda and Jasmine Muller were left unattached when their partners, Simba Kudyiwa and Kavan Murphy, returned with new faces. However, both Simba and Kavan quickly ditched the bombshells they brought back and returned to their original partners. Viewers were stunned by the speed of the turnarounds.
Former Islander Shakira Khan backed Laites' assessment, saying: 'I just think people really didn't use Casa to its full advantage this time. Like, you go there, you explore a connection, bring it back to the villa [and] really see that through. But it was pointless, it's like you brought people back to the villa for nothing. And the girls definitely knew.'
Bombshells Quickly Eliminated
Within days of arriving at the main villa, Casa bombshells Mara Pirez and Charleen Murphy found themselves without partners and were subsequently eliminated from the show. Laites, who found her perfect match during Casa Amor in 2025, expressed disappointment that the 2026 contestants did not give the segment a proper opportunity.
Love Island airs Sunday to Friday at 9pm on ITV2 and ITVX.
