ITV announce ‘middle aged’ Love Island as they look for ‘single parents’ and share villa

ITV has announced a brand new "middle-aged" Love Island-style spin-off coming to the network.

After months of rumours, TV bosses have shared a call-out through their website for "vibrant single parents" to audition for their show, called The Romance Retreat, which will be aired on the main channel.

The blurb for the programme reads: "ITV1 are looking for vibrant single parents from across the UK who are in search of love, for a brand new dating show!

"This is the ONLY dating show where single parents can search for love, by spending time in a luxury retreat, where all the parents have been nominated by their grown up children."

The call out also appeared to give potential applicants a peak at the "villa" that will most likely be used. In the picture, a modest house with a glass balcony can be seen surrounded by a lush green garden.

A TV source previously spoke about a possible grown-up version of Love Island to The Sun, where they shared: "Times change and the current generation in their 40s and 50s still care about how they look, are fit and healthy, into fashion and are ready to let their hair down."

With the aim of giving people a "second chance", they continued: “And, let’s face it, they know their minds, will be capable of intelligent conversation and are likely to be much more adventurous – all ingredients regular Love Island sometimes lacks.”

The news comes just weeks after Davina McCall begged ITV to let her host a "midlife" version of Love Island, which returned to screens on 16 January for its second ever winter series.

Speaking on Steven Bartlett's Diary of a CEO podcast, she explained she has "no embarrassment or shame about emailing a TV company or the head of a TV company and going 'Have you thought about this?'"

The 55 year old, who was recently branded "unreal" as she wowed in a pink jumpsuit on The Masked Singer, went on to confess she's "literally begging ITV to let me present midlife Love Island".

She continued: "I could fill a villa in Love Island with middle-aged people with the best back stories you have ever heard in your life.

"They've lived a life – they're widows, they're people who have been through horrific divorces. They are people who have split up with somebody and decided they want to try going out with somebody the same sex as them.

"They're like interesting people. I'd watch that show."

She went on to share that ITV was looking into creating a similar show and had her name in the running to host.

"I was like 'I need to present it please'. They said, 'We're looking at something else that's quite similar, we might consider you for that'," Davina said.

The star added: "Well if I hadn't sent them that email in the first place, they wouldn't have thought about me for the other show maybe. You've got to make opportunities happen – they never just come to you. Keep walking."

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