Celebrity Love Island was an ITV reality TV show, in which 12 single celebrities went to a Fiji island with the stated aim of finding love. Each week a male and female contestant were eliminated until just one pair was left, making the 'ultimate celebrity couple'. It was presented by Patrick Kielty and Kelly Brook. The series was won by Jayne Middlemiss and Fran Cosgrave.

The title music was entitled "Wish I" and was performed by Welsh singer-songwriter Jem.

The celebrities taking part were:

Calum Best (model) 
Fran Cosgrave (nightclub owner) - male winner 
Paul Danan (actor) 
Michael Greco (actor) 
Lady Isabella Hervey (sister of Lady Victoria Hervey) 
Du'aine Ladejo (athlete) 
Rebecca Loos (David Beckham's former PA) 
Liz McClarnon (former member of Atomic Kitten) 
Jayne Middlemiss (presenter) - female winner 
Lee Sharpe (footballer) 
Judi Shekoni (actress) 
Abi Titmuss (model and presenter) 
Nikki Ziering (model) 

Controversy and criticism
The show attracted controversy from the moment it was announced by ITV. It was marketed as a rival for Channel 4's popular reality show, Big Brother, which would be returning for a sixth series soon after its launch. Many felt that the format of the show would provide trashy television as an excuse to attract high ratings.

Following the launch of the show, the celebrities were criticised by fans for being boring (and not real celebrities). There was some suspicion that the contestants were simply using the programme as a free holiday, and the tabloids claimed that producers held crisis meetings to figure out how to keep things interesting.

Soon afterwards, it emerged that the show's presenters, Kelly Brook and Patrick Kielty, were engaged in a bitter feud. The problems between the pair allegedly started after Kielty told viewers on the live show that Brook had previously been involved in a relationship with one of the contestants, Paul Danan. However, even the promise of fireworks between the two hosts wasn't enough to keep viewers interested, and one episode of the show only attracted less than 2 million viewers. Producers later hired model Nikki Ziering to spice up the show.

The show is also resented by fans of long-running ITV soap Coronation Street. ITV decided to move its flagship programme from 19.30 to 20.30 on Monday nights, to provide a successful lead-in for Love Island, in the hope of increasing ratings. Writers John Fay and Daran Little complained to the press about the treatment of the show. ITV argued that it took the decision to move the soap very seriously and only did so when absolutely necessary. A meeting was requested with ITV programming director Nigel Pickard to discuss the issue.

The show was so badly received by viewers and critics that the word 'Celebrity' is now seen as tainted by UK television companies. An interesting example was Sky TV's celebrity golf tournament, broadcast on Sky One on the August Bank Holiday weekend 2005, was called "All Star Cup" and Sky were careful not to use the C-word in programme trailers.





The Storm
On Friday June 10th 2005, although ratings were beginning to pick up, with the show overtaking Big Brother in popularity, a strong storm over the islands of Fiji disrupted the programme. A live eviction show had to be cancelled as 6 foot waves made it impossible for crew-members to cross over to where the celebrities were staying. Instead, ITV was forced to repeat the episode from the previous night with unseen footage.