Right, here’s why Luca Bish finally said yes to Love Island All Stars after declining in 2024

Despite being offered his comeback moment in the first season of Love Island All Stars, fishmonger Luca Bish initially declined before signing on to the upcoming second instalment of the spin-off.

Luca initially featured on Love Island season eight alongside other iconic islanders such as Davide Sanclimenti, Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu, Tasha Ghouri, and Adam Collard. After a brief dalliance with Paige Thorne, he coupled up with nepo baby Gemma Owen and they ultimately came in second. Obviously, that relationship didn’t work out.

Though many people pegged Luca as an obvious inclusion in 2024’s All Stars, it turns out there was a very relatable reason he decided to skip it.

The real reason Luca Bish wasn’t on Love Island All Stars last year

Credit: ITV

Despite debuting a new girlfriend just a few weeks ago, Luca Bish is now officially in South Africa and awaiting the launch date of All Stars. Though part of me still thinks he would have been better in last year’s chosen ITV crop, one of his friends told The Mirror that it simply wasn’t in the stars.

“Execs were on his case for the first All Stars which he turned down, and then again for this series. After winning the judges, and public, round as a finalist on Celebrity MasterChef Luca regained his confidence which had taken a bit of a battering,” they said.

Teasing Luca Bish 2.0, the unnamed friend said he is now significantly “wiser” going into Love Island All Stars season two.

“He’s older, wiser and less naive this time round and we can’t wait for everyone to see the real Luca that we know and love,” they added.

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Luca has been incredibly candid about his Love Island experience, and subsequent painful breakup with Gemma, but it was really his time on Celebrity MasterChef that rehabilitated his image.

“Making that show has brought me back to being the Luca before the villa,” he told OK!. “I felt myself again, it made me feel comfortable to do TV again. I was still very unsure if I wanted to be put in a situation where you can be shown in a certain light, but it made me feel so happy.”

That air of confidence is a stark contrast to his time on Love Island, which does make you wonder why he’s signed up for the drama a second time.

“I was like a battery and most of my juice was gone by the end of it and I was just ready to go. I was mentally not there,” he said.  “When my mum and dad came in [during the Meet the Parents episode], they even said they weren’t looking at their son. And that’s sad to hear, but thanks to MasterChef I feel back and if not better than I have before. It’s just learning, but I feel amazing. I’ve embraced it.”

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Featured image credit: ITV