Finding Balance: The Case for Yoga

I have tried nearly every exercise class under the sun; partly because I am addicted to free Class Pass trials, partly because my destroyed attention span forces me to switch up everything I do so I don’t die of boredom, and partly because I love being able to turn my brain off and follow instructions for an hour. Most days of the week I find myself in the gym, on a run, on the tennis courts or in a random studio, and I love it – I think. 

Now nobody needs my unqualified self to tell you all the benefits of exercise, but just for fun, let’s list a few. Your sleep improves, you have more natural energy, the endorphins make you happier and less stressed, you have better cognitive function, your risk of chronic disease is reduced and, of course, if you do it enough, your body physically changes. As all annoying gym addicts say, I have never once regretted a workout. It always, without fail, makes me feel good afterwards. However, I tend towards more high-intensity workouts, like boot camp style classes. Often the mental convincing it takes just to get there, knowing how intense it will be, is half as strenuous as the class itself. 

So, when I was offered to attend a free yoga class with Ashleigh (@yogaclubleeds on Instagram), I jumped at the chance. 

Image Credit: Ashleigh Cunningham

Yoga is a practice that I have always held very dear. My grandma Carole was a yoga teacher and continued to teach almost her entire life. In Year 11, along with three of my best friends, I attended weekly classes during the “stress” of our GCSEs (bless us we had no idea what was to come). In my first year at Leeds, I also joined Yoga Society, practising in the Union’s beautiful Jade Studio. Even this summer, when working in a Mexican food truck at Glastonbury, I went to classes in the “Yoga Whale” to get into a good mood before my shifts (and repent for my sins the night before). More recently I have been going to yoga classes in my gym, but no more than once a fortnight. I clearly really enjoy yoga, so why do I not prioritise it anymore?

Yoga is an ancient practice, with its own set of benefits, many of them being mental. It has great benefits to one’s strength, balance and flexibility. But, more often than not, yoga is a fairly low-impact exercise compared to other types. Personally, I often opt for high-impact exercise, because I perceive it as having more “benefits”. However, I have recently been wondering if I only believe that because it is the exercise that changes my body the most physically. For some reason, I’m convinced that I’m “wasting my time” actively choosing exercises that prioritise mental well-being more. Knowing that this thought process is not only illogical, but quite harmful, I took the opportunity to attend Ashleigh’s class to challenge this mindset.

The session was in a small studio in Kirkstall, home to many different classes. Ashleigh was immediately warm and welcoming, creating a community feel in her kind nature. I arrived carrying a lot of stress from my third-year deadlines, so was initially slightly reluctant to be there. However, I almost immediately found myself lost in the positivity of the class, following Ashleigh’s instructions to choose to let go of the day and ground myself in the room. 

The poses that we held were strength-based and fairly challenging, demanding you to bring every ounce of attention to your own body. Towards the end of the class, Ashleigh taught us all how to do a headstand, which we had been preparing for with our dolphin poses. Although this was something I hadn’t attempted for God knows how long, I really wanted to give it a go. Ashleigh’s instructions were clear and precise, and low and behold, with a bit of encouragement, I did it (for about two seconds)! The class finished with a short meditation, in which we were encouraged to feel pride in our decision to prioritise our wellbeing by coming to the class. 

Leaving the studio, I felt totally rejuvenated; all the stresses from the day had melted away. I felt pride in the strength of my body for carrying me through the class, I felt proud for having the confidence to attempt a headstand, I felt proud for getting myself there in the first place, and most importantly, I felt pride in prioritising my mental health. 

Exercise should be an act of love for our body, never a punishment. Choosing to do yoga is choosing to actively love your body and yourself, by doing something kind for it. Although I’ll be continuing with my different workouts, this class has been the perfect reminder to start prioritising yoga, and my mental well-being again. I encourage anyone reading who is under the stresses of university, or just life in general, to give yoga a go, specifically @yogaclubleeds for a similar experience. Use discount code “gryphon” for 50% off your first class.

Words by Anna Lawrence-Wasserberg

Concerns Over ESG? What the New Trump Administration Could Mean for the Future of Climate Policy

As environmental concerns climb the ranks of global priorities, one of the key factors under careful observation is how governments will approach addressing the challenge of climate change within their borders. However, this observation does not always lead to positive outcomes. In some cases, governments are seen to be failing to sustain progression towards climate change prevention, with Trump serving as a notable example. 

In this context, the growing significance of ESG frameworks for example, has emerged as a method of simultaneously holding governments and businesses accountable for the environmental impacts they may have. As international attention shifts towards sustainability, ESG has become a fundamental measure, guiding governmental and business policies and their consequent action in the battle against climate change. Yet, whilst some nations are embracing these standards, others are yet to be so accepting. In some cases, such necessary changes are often resisted.

“Is the climate changing because of human activity?”

“In my opinion, you have a thing called weather, and you go up and you go down.”

-Donald Trump 2022, Fox Business Interview with Stuart Varney

While Trump has not outright denied the existence of climate change in recent years, he has consistently expressed scepticism towards efforts to address it. Prior to Trump’s victory for example, a Carbon Brief analysis showed if he were to win the November 2024 election, US emissions could rise by an extra 4 billion tonnes by 2023 versus Biden’s. Therefore, it is easy to understand why there is growing concern about the potential environmental impact of a new Trump administration in 2025.

As of March 2025, this concern can arguably be considered justified. Before his second term, he was already recognised for rolling back over 100 environmental regulations and policies during his first term. This pattern has already been seen to be repeating itself, as within the first three months of his second presidency, Trump has wasted no time taking action, swiftly signing a series of anti-ESG executive orders.

ESG – Environmental, Social and Governance – is a framework of standards used to assess a business’s impact on society and the environment, as well as its transparency. The environmental criteria assess a company’s environmental care and the overall structure has become crucial for the commercial world, as socially conscious investors are using it to elevate potential business investments. Therefore, ESG is crucial, as the framework it offers, provides a mechanism enabling businesses to effectively address climate change. The significance of Trump’s anti-ESG executive orders is thus reinforced. 

Given Trumps pre-election rhetoric, it consequently came as little surprise when he moved quickly to challenge ESG policies after his January inauguration. One of these ‘moves’ came in the form of his withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement and related United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) pacts. This is not the first time he has taken such action, but this move comes in the wake of Biden’s re-entry in 2021.

The Unleashing American Energy is another recent executive order under the new Trump administration, likely to have potentially detrimental environmental implications. It undermines climate action by prioritising fossil fuel development and halting funding for clean energy initiatives, thereby hindering efforts to reduce emissions and transition to renewable energy.

When combined with his appointment of Chris Wright, a fossil fuel advocate and founder of the fracking company Liberty Energy, as Energy Secretary under his new government to boost oil and gas production, it become clear that Trump is not prioritising climate change prevention in his policy strategy. Therefore, this pro-fossil fuel administration is anticipated to cause even greater threats to the planet and those communities hit the hardest by the climate crisis.

The most vulnerable communities include indigenous people, land defenders, and low-income groups, already currently suffering as a result of extreme weather and environmental degradation. If fossil fuel extraction continues to expand under Trump as well as the rollback of environmental protections, both of which are anticipated, these already marginalised communities are likely to face greater risks. Such risks posed may include loss of land and increased exposure to climate disasters. When coupled with the lack of sufficient support for adaption against these anticipated risks, places these communities in a position to face even more severe threats.

What effect, if any, will this have on the UK?

Despite this being a primary issue in US climate policy, across the Atlantic in the UK, we are not necessarily immune to the impact of Trump’s recent climate actions. Consistent demographic shifts, coupled with growing geopolitical tensions, highlight the need for a more sophisticated and deeper international collaboration in order to deal with the issue of climate change. Given the US’s significant contribution to climate change due to its size, without their participation in this alliance, the impact of our efforts in the UK are likely to be considerably diminished. 

Ultimately, it is undeniable the new Trump administration will have significant environmental impacts, particularly within the US, but also with far-reaching effects that could be felt globally, including the UK. The rollback of environmental regulations is already underway. Fossil fuel industries are being promoted. Environmental enforcement may weaken. Support for anti-ESG policies is likely. These are all potential, if not already evident, consequences under the new Trump administration.

Words by Ellie Hardcastle

The Winter Arc: Are Social Media Trends Fuelling the Resurgence of Diet Culture?

The rhetoric surrounding the perfect ‘summer body’ resurfaces annually to perpetuate diet culture and provide a platform for corporations to profit from individuals’ insecurities or anxieties. In an era of digitalisation, social media platforms form the network through which these negative ideals become targeted towards women, especially young women. 

The latest trend to appear on TikTok is “The Winter Arc”, which is a creative reimagining of the ‘summer body’ phrasing to ensure that year-long young women become pressured to conform to diet culture and subscribe to various health and wellness fixes. In a 2020 survey published by University College London, it was reported that between 2005 and 2015 the percentage of teenagers attempting to lose weight had risen by 13.4%. The societal pressure to lose weight is often directed towards young women, and in turn, companies create products, fitness programmes and marketing campaigns with this demographic in mind.  

Within this context, “The Winter Arc” is problematic because it creates a culture of consumption whereby individuals feel pressured to buy expensive gym memberships, new gym clothes, trainers, skincare products and expensive health food. The TikTok algorithm promotes these trends because engagement draws interest from large health, wellness and beauty advertisers that stand to profit from diet culture. It is opportunistic but also represents the larger problem of beauty standards in society. 

To say “The Winter Arc” is a resurgence of diet culture is unfortunately untrue, as diet culture is consistently present in modern society. In reality, TikTok is creating trends that are increasingly visible and less discreet than previous reimaginings of weight loss trends, and these terms are repackaged and reestablished regularly by corporations aiming for profit. Trends like #WhatIEatInADay have been circulating social media for years, whilst the app Facetune, which allows users to edit their images, has over 160 million downloads globally. Trends like “The Winter Arc” are indicative of a widespread problem in society. 

Though diet culture is persistent, in an increasingly digitalised world trends and narratives are readily available on mainstream and social media platforms. With increasing media visibility, and in an era of Ozempic and plastic surgery, these problems can seem new or part of a resurgence in diet culture. But the truth is that we are increasingly exposed to diet culture which results in increased conversation around body image in our communities. Across news media reporting, in tabloids and broadsheets, there is an excessive focus on celebrities’ appearance or sudden weight loss. The editorial director at British Vogue stated that the fashion industry should be worried about the return of extreme thinness on both the runway and the media. It could be argued that though there has been increasing diversity in body types in modelling and mainstream media in recent years, the underlying persistence of diet culture and pressures to be thin has not improved or changed greatly. 

Image Credit: The Guardian/Alamy/Ro

The presence of social media trends, such as “The Winter Arc” and #WhatIEatInADay, paired with the increasing thinness in the media due to Ozempic, generates extreme pressure on women to adhere to ever-changing beauty standards because they are targeted by the media and marketing campaigns. Social media platforms, centrally TikTok, have a responsibility to monitor the trends that circulate the app. On TikTok, when the #WhatIEatInADay trend appears, there is a disclaimer and a link to the charity Beat which helps people with eating disorders. 

Though these trends are problematic, and social media platforms have a responsibility to protect people struggling with body image issues, these trends emerge from the social systems that put pressure on women to look a certain way. By acknowledging that these trends are repackaged and relabelled in attempts to generate insecurities and sell products, it becomes easier to examine the source of these social pressures. But, to create real change, we must unsubscribe from the beauty ideals imposed by societal pressure, as corporations would be forced to create marketing campaigns and products that are not based on diet culture.

Words by Sophie Gregory

Protest Under Attack! The British Police That Protect Profits Not People

If I were to tell you that the largest scale police operation in Yorkshire in over ten years took place in the first week of August 2024, you would probably guess that this operation was trying to stop race rioters from terrorising British towns and cities. You would be wrong. Of far greater concern to the British state were climate activists planning to peacefully protest on a field nearby the Drax power station, the largest carbon emitter in the UK. Despite the legal right to protest, twenty-four activists were arrested preemptively, under suspicion that they might proceed to do something else illegal, under newly created charges of conspiracy to lock-on or to disrupt infrastructure. These arrests led to the distress of the arrestees, the seizing of fire safety and accessibility equipment and the complete quelling of the camp planned to protest Drax. How have the police become so authoritarian in their organization? And what does it mean for the future of free speech in the U.K.?

Who are Drax?

‘Drax Group is a renewable energy company engaged in renewable power generation, the production of sustainable biomass and the sale of renewable electricity to businesses.’

This is how Drax describes themself, but let’s see if this description holds up against the slightest of scrutiny.

Their first method of avoiding accountability has been outsourcing it abroad to primarily harm already vulnerable communities, committing air pollution violations when sourcing wood pellets in the U.S.A, making conditions difficult to breathe in surrounding areas for residents who are mostly black and impoverished. In 2021 and 2022 it was forced to pay a combined $5.7 million to these communities on account of these violations. It has also begun to log in Canada’s boreal forest, threatening many already imperiled species, damaging the ancestral home to over 600 indigenous communities and destroying one of earth’s most critical carbon stores. Drax’s self-description is already not adding up.

An annual ranking of carbon emissions in 2023 from UK Emissions Trading Scheme Reporting found Drax to be the largest single source of carbon emissions in the UK and the largest polluter out of any company in 2023, yet it still claims to be renewable because it is burning trees and so is a ‘Biomass’ plant. This makes no sense, because burning wood pellets typically emits more CO2 than even coal or gas given it is less energy dense and so burnt at higher volumes. The Emissions Trading Scheme also makes the baseless assumption that forest regrowth offsets the carbon emissions from biomass plants, making Drax eligible for public subsidies. Meaning in the same year that Drax polluted our planet’s atmosphere more than any other company in the UK and made over £1 billion in profit from our energy bills, they also received £539 million in subsidies, paid for by the taxpayer. This is the same company that chose not to produce electricity for weeks during the European gas crisis in 2022, when British people were under extreme financial pressure from skyrocketing energy bills, because they found it more profitable to sell their imported wood pellets on the British market due to inflated demand, than to actually produce energy. Ember, the global energy think tank, estimated that this cost consumers in the UK £639 million in cost reductions withheld for the sake of Drax’s profit. The British public subsidises this company with approximately £2 million a day and given its complete disdain for the livelihoods of the British public in return, something Drax thought Britons ought to know before they make another government contract.

Who are Reclaim the Power?

‘Reclaim the Power is a UK based direct action network fighting for social, environmental and economic justice.’

Considering Drax’s chart-topping pollution numbers and thus unjustified public subsidies for being a renewable energy source, they would seem to be the perfect target for anyone fighting for social, environmental and climate justice. Drax’s contract with the government to receive said subsidies, however, is almost up and its renewal soon to be discussed and decided. This likely explains why a group of campaigners exposing the publicly subsidised company’s deceitful and destructive methods would be such cause for concern. The protest was planned to be a peaceful protest on a field near the Drax site to do exactly that, expose Drax. Yet those newly created police powers meant that over twenty people were arrested under suspicion of planning to disrupt key infrastructure, whilst tents, food, disability ramps and more were seized as being potentially used to ‘lock-on’ leading one arrestee to comment in a statement to Netpol: 

“I don’t think any of the arresting officers knew what locking on was, let alone what equipment might be needed for it.”

What followed for the peaceful protesters, which included Leeds students, was an undoubted abuse of police powers, with the operation requesting special permission to hold arrestees for longer than the 24-hour limit, at least five homes being raided, and essential equipment still being held by the police now.

Who do the Police think they are?

Keir Starmer had told the British public that his government was doing “everything we can” for the police to contain the riots and that all possible efforts were being made to keep communities safe. However, resources and officers from the Wiltshire Police force, Metropolitan police force, and even from Wales, were taken away from keeping communities safe to instead stamp out peaceful protest against a private company; “Operation Infusion” as it was so called involved hundreds of police officers from eleven different police forces. This illustrates a very concerning truth about the British police system and its priorities: that its purpose has less to do with protecting people, and more to do with protecting power. It seems the British public is aware of the police state’s increasing powers over the past few years of Conservative government, and are not happy about it, but perhaps don’t know quite the extent to which individual liberties and civil rights are under threat. Back when Boris Johnson tried to pass the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill in 2022, it was met with some of the largest protests in recent British history, proportionate to the proposed bills being the largest increase of state powers in living memory. Protesters were specifically worried by the increase of maximum prison sentences for damaging memorials from three months to ten years. Or the police power to impose “conditions” on, which meant to essentially stamp out any protest that causes “serious annoyance” expressed with purposeful vagueness to allow the subjective selection and suppression of any form of dissent. This of course begs the question, what is a protest if it cannot annoy, if it cannot disrupt, if it cannot draw attention? And further, why do the home secretary or the police state judge the legitimacy of peaceful protest, a long-cherished right of the British citizen? Hence at the time, leading barrister Chris Daw stated:

“The bill hands over the power of deciding whether a protest is justified or should be allowed – decisions we as citizens have had for generations — directly to the Home Secretary”

The government was told by human rights lawyers that this bill would “clearly violate human rights standards” but it seemed even the pretense of upholding liberty and justice had long passed as a priority for the Conservative government. So, after over a month of ping ponging back and forth between the House of Lords and Commons, specifically due to the draconian nature of the protest restrictions, the Bill was finally passed in April 2022 with some of the more radically authoritarian components watered down or removed. Those rights we managed to maintain, however, would not be safe for long. Only a year later, Rishi Sunak’s unelected government responded to the expanding public demonstrations of discontent and environmental concern, not by listening to the public but by strengthening police powers to silence the public, to silence those voices of discontent once again. The Public Order Act of 2023 introduced new offences for crimes like ‘locking-on’ and disrupting key infrastructure and importantly gave the police new stop and search powers to prevent such protests, even without suspicion, measures previously rejected for being too severe. This was crucial in enabling the arrest of those Reclaim the Power protesters, arrests that would have been unlawful only a few years ago. And even still, the attacks on our civil liberties would follow activists from arrests to the courts. Over the past two years protesters have lost nearly every possible legal defense in court, such as the human right to protest defense that permits the acquittal of defendants if the jury believes that the protest was proportional to the cause for which they are protesting, an old and proud human right held in British courts. The courts have embarked on an undisclosed agenda to make this defense unavailable in secret rulings in the absence of juries, across a number of small court cases and offences. Slowly and silently, British citizens have lost the right to defend themselves in court. So extreme were these rulings that they even banned saying ‘fuel poverty’, ‘climate change’, ‘Martin Luther King’ and the ‘US civil rights movements’ in court because these terms were seen to invoke said human rights defense that was ruled as no longer available. The British public have been having their rights to freedom of speech, unknowingly and insidiously ripped away from them.

This summer’s arrest of those taking environmental action was not one terrifying outlier, instead it would appear to be the setting of a new precedent. The British state will not hear the cries of popular resistance, instead it will crush them; it will not accept criticism and acknowledge what needs to change, instead it will silence any opposition, any call for change; it will not hold corporations to account, instead it will protect their private profits with our public money.

Words by Rory O’Dwyer

Unlearning Diet Culture: Healthy Relationships with Food in an All-Girls Household

It is no secret to those who know me, that my absolute favourite genre of film and TV show is 2000s chick flicks. They are the most fun and light-hearted comfort re-watch, with cute outfits, snappy comebacks and (almost) always a happy ending. When it comes to a girly movie night, Tarantino can do one. 

Image Credit: HBO

However, every piece of media in this genre has one thing in common. They always, without fail, reinforce diet culture. Think Regina’s perpetual diet in Mean Girls, Andy being shamed for eating carbs in The Devil Wears Prada, Hannah’s weight loss storyline in Pretty Little Liars, Bridget Jones’s record of her weight in Bridget Jones’s Diary. Even Sex and the City, for all of its empowering, 20-years-ahead-of-its-time observations, falls back into the conversation of losing weight over and over again. 

One might argue that these scenes are intentionally over-the-top and shouldn’t be taken too seriously. However, considering the influence of the media we consume on our real-life culture, the impacts shouldn’t be minimised. Not only is an unhealthy relationship with food expected in women and girls, but, to a degree, it is celebrated. Even further than that, it serves as something that women bond over. Granted, some of the dialogue about diet is satirical, and is making fun of this collective over-obsession, but that still doesn’t negate its place in reinforcing these expectations for women. 

Essentially, women have been socialised, by the media marketed specifically to them, to believe that uniting over wanting to change our bodies is inherent to our female relationships. 

Instead of diving into how irritating I find this, for I fear we could be all day, I want to take the trope in a more positive direction. Every girl and woman I know has struggled with their body image for at least some of their life, usually most of it (bear with me). It’s ingrained into our culture that we should always be striving to change something about our appearance and, more often than not, the conversation comes back to food.

As a second-year student, when I moved into a house of seven girls, the thought of how other people’s relationship with food and their bodies would affect my own certainly crossed my mind, because when you live with people, these things tend to surface. It’s no secret that house-sharing is an intense feat, and the longer you spend together, the more aware of each other’s habits you are. So, imagine my delight when I discovered that living with only girls would be the best my relationship with food and my body had ever been.

As a side note, I think the phrase “relationship with food/my body” has been heavily stigmatised, and when I talk about my own, it is not to imply that it has ever been awful, but, like many other girls, it has always been a conscious part of my day-to-day life. 

Image Credit: iStock

When we first started living together, the seven of us would regularly cook almost comically different meals on a nightly basis. However, as time has gone on, we have inspired each other’s meals, cooking the same thing more often, and eventually cooking all together when we can. Sharing meal ideas has become an act of love for us, wanting our friends to indulge in what we enjoy, so they can garner the same enjoyment. We also subconsciously time our dinners to ensure we are all cooking/eating around the same time, so we can chat and catch up on our days. Food has brought us together daily, and not in the way the movies wanted it to. Even working out, which our culture has a tendency to pervert into self-flagellation with Gymshark leggings on, has become some of our most quality time together, the endorphins muddling themselves with hysterical laughing fits.

Then there is, of course, the sweet treat. The foods that have been demonised our whole lives are the ones that bring us together the most. A giggly night time trip to Sainsbury’s, a cheeky movie snack while we squash on the sofa together – keto hasn’t stepped within 10 feet of our house. These are the foods labelled as “evil” by the protagonists of our favourite films, again often satirically, but never without basis for how they’re generally spoken of. But food that is fun and sweet and you enjoy it together, when everything’s in moderation, why not? 

To coin my previous phrase again, I don’t think anyone’s relationship with food or their body can ever be perfect – diet culture is too embedded in everything we do. However, that shouldn’t stop us from using our lifestyles to disregard all the nonsense we have been taught and instead turn something that has been polarising into a space for community. Food is at the heart of so many cultures, so let’s try and carry on the tradition of it bringing people together, rather than using it to tear ourselves apart.

Words by Anna Lawrence-Wasserberg

Love Island 2025: A Winter-Summer of Drama, Romance, and Reality TV’s Most Unpredictable Show. But Has Love Island Outgrown Itself?

Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu is the standout Queen of Love Island All Stars 2025. Whilst we all enjoy the drama, has Love Island lost its original entertainment value after so many seasons?


Ekin-Su is cementing herself as the undeniable queen of the villa once again. While Ekin-Su is undoubtedly a master at creating chaos, what truly sets her apart from other contestants on Love Island is her ability to think strategically. She’s not just playing for a potential romance; she’s playing the long game. Her gameplay is calculated, but it’s also sprinkled with moments of authenticity—whether it’s her emotional moments in private chats or the genuine connection she shares with Curtis Pritchard and the girls.

Has Love Island gone on for too long?

As the UK’s most notorious reality TV dating show, Love Island has earned its place in the pop culture hall of fame. Whether you’re watching it for the drama, the romance, or the utterly ridiculous moments, Love Island continues to hold its audience captive season after season. But in 2025, with the second season of Love Island All Stars, the show has reached a new level of excitement, reuniting some of the franchise’s most iconic contestants. With the likes of returning fan-favourite contestants Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu, Curtis Pritchard, Casey O’Gorman, Gabby Allen, Kaz Crossley, Elma Pazar and Luca Bish it has been a good season, but with its 12 th season overall has Love Island simply been going for too long?


Love Island arguably reached its peak on season 5 – aka Molly Mae’s season. Molly Mae emerged as the most successful of all love islanders, with multiple companies, a docuseries and a net worth of 6 million and counting. Many girls have eagerly followed her path in hopes of her level of fame, and whilst girls like Ekin-Su, Molly Smith, Maura Higgins and Millie Court have done very well post-love Island, none have done as well as Molly Mae. An issue with Love Island in recent years is the increasing number of people going on for fame, and therefore are too aware of the cameras, and wanting to avoid a bad rep and thus damage their chances of money and fame, they become staged. The dramas of the earlier seasons cannot be recaptured. The drama is still entertaining but lacks a feeling of genuineness.


Love Island is a battle for fame, followers, and long-term relevance. Arguably with Love Islanders returning the race for clout, it is more intense. Though according to Ekin-Su on Sunday 9 th ’s episode “I don’t need clout”. The contestants finding “true love” seems almost secondary to their desire to stay relevant and famous, a second grab for fame. Some feel a bit too aware of the cameras, trying to become meme-worthy or likeable, which detracts from the authenticity that made the show so compelling in its earlier seasons. Ekin-Su creates some much-needed excitement, but it’s hard not to wonder if the formula has grown stale. For those still invested in the drama, it remains unmissable television, but years of controversies have dampened it. The show has faced repeated scrutiny over its portrayal of relationships, body image, lack of diversity and mental health. Despite its efforts to address these issues in recent years—through casting some more diverse contestants and increasing psychological support for its stars, there is still far to go.

Love Island All Stars 2025

Watching Ekin-Su re-enter the villa, it’s impossible not to appreciate her evolution as both a reality TV star and a social media powerhouse. She is playing the game like a seasoned pro. Ekin-Su is a name that has become synonymous with Love Island after her unforgettable appearance and eventual winner of the 2022 season. Her fiery personalityand unapologetic attitude made her a standout figure. Let’s be real—Ekin-Su was never shy about stirring the pot and arguably made season 8 and now All Stars season 2 what it is. Between her sneaky moves and explosive confrontations, she is always at the heart of the drama.


Ekin-Su, who is arguably the best known from this year’s line-up, walked in as the first night bombshell, with a dazzling pearl dress, and immediately got to pick 3 newly coupled up men to triple date with. True Ekin-Su fashion. If you watched Love Island on the 3rd of February, aka- the infamous heart rate challenge, you would have seen Ekin-Su wow the audience and fellow love islanders alike. Saving the best for last, she entered the fire pit, dressed in a fiery red devil costume, she recreated her season 8 balcony crawl. Whilst all the women performed impressive and sexy dances, Ekin-Su was arguably the standout and certainly put in the most effort out of the girls. However, it was Curtis who won the challenge, raising 6 out of 8 of the girl’s heart rates. The two of them are certainly this year’s dramatic power couple. This heart-rate challenge additionally caused more drama than in previous years, with Ekin-Su kissing Sammy – Elma’s partner, despite saying she would not kiss him at Elma’s request. This caused some arguments, but she did apologise in the end. Where would Love Island be without a bit of drama anyway?


Whether you love her or love to hate her, Ekin-Su’s time on Love Island All Stars 2025 has provided plenty of explosive moments, undeniable chemistry, and, of course, drama that only a star like her can deliver. Moments such as kissing Curtis mid-argument, swirling her drink at him and her love triangle with Curtis and Danielle. Plus, who can forget the drama over the kissing challenge with Curtis announcing ‘I haven’t kissed this girl’ after every kiss, have held us to the screen. While Ekin-Su’s fiery nature and Curtis’s suave, smooth-talking demeanour seem like an unexpected match, their dynamic has quickly become one of the most intriguing storylines of the season. Curtis has always had a more laid-back persona compared to Ekin-Su’s fiery presence has complemented each other well.

Highlights of the season

At first glance, Ekin-Su and Curtis might seem like an unlikely pairing. However, Curtis, who competed on Love Island 2019,  known for his dancing, romance with Amy Hart and Maura Higgins, and his coffee making, provided the same level of drama himself. But as the season progresses, it becomes clear that their chemistry is more than just surface-level, there’s an undeniable spark between them. What makes their connection even more intriguing is the fact that both Ekin-Su and Curtis are seasoned Love Island veterans—meaning they’re aware of the public scrutiny and the game mechanics at play. But despite the strategic element, it’s clear that their relationship, at least for now, feels more authentic than expected, with her crying after Elma took the pie challenge too far and Curtis rushed to her defense, Ekin-Su and Curtis became a pairing we didn’t know we needed. Though I have doubts about their ability to stay together in the long term, they make for good TV.


Another surprising couple to come out of this year are Casey O’Gorman and Gabby Allen. With this being Casey’s third winter love island in a row, he finally seems to have grown up.

When Casey O’Gorman first entered the Love Island villa in 2023, he was one of the most talked-about contestants of the season—not just because of his good looks, but due to his infamous “playboy” persona and flirtatious ways. Flash forward to Love Island All Stars 2025, and Casey, now a three-time Love Island contestant, is showing a side of himself that viewers have never seen before. What makes the pair so compelling is how much Casey have evolved since his previous stints. Known for being somewhat immature and entangled in a few dramatic love triangles, his third season feels different. No longer the man-child who plays the field, Casey has shown a level of maturity and introspection that adds depth to his relationship with Gabby. Gone are the shallow flirtations and self-centred antics of the past. Instead, we’re seeing a more grounded, thoughtful version of Casey—someone who’s
ready to settle down and is now closed-off and, perhaps more surprisingly, is genuinely connecting with Gabby on an emotional level. Gabby and Casey to win!


Plus, Luca Bish’s emotional side seems to have been drawn out this winter too, being more open, raw and honest. During his 2022 stint, Luca was often perceived as being somewhat emotionally guarded and was criticised for his rude persona at times. He was the “cool” guy who kept his emotions in check, which at times made him hard to read. He’s done something that very few male reality TV stars are willing to do—he’s cried on camera twice. 
A season full of Love Island’s signature drama and romance has kept us entertained, but with a sense that the show is starting to wear thin. Still, fans of the series won’t want to miss the chaos and chemistry that only Love Island offers.