Belle Hassan’s Love Island return sparks new villa drama in 2026

Belle Hassan is back on “Love Island: All Stars” in 2026, and the latest episodes have pushed her to the center of the season’s biggest storyline: a sudden, highly public crush on Scott van-der-Sluis that has split both the villa and the audience. The flashpoint came during the heart rate challenge on Monday, Feb. 9, 2026 (ET), when Belle’s on-screen choices reignited a debate about loyalty, “girl code,” and how quickly relationships can flip in an all-star format.

Her return also lands at a moment when the show’s nostalgia-driven casting is leaning hard into familiar faces—bringing back contestants who already have history, fan expectations, and unfinished business.

Why Belle returned to the villa

Ahead of the new season, Belle framed her comeback in straightforward terms: she’s tired of heartbreak and wants something serious. That set the tone for her early pairing and the expectations around her storyline—less flirt-for-flirt’s-sake, more “is this finally the one?”

Once inside, she quickly slotted into the social core of the group, in part because she arrived with prior reality-TV experience and a reputation for speaking her mind. That combination tends to produce fast alliances—and faster fallouts—especially when recouplings and challenges force decisions in public.

Belle Love Island: the Scott twist

The current drama revolves around Belle’s interest in Scott, who has recently been entangled in a separate triangle and breakup within the villa. What made Belle’s move feel explosive wasn’t just the attraction—it was the timing and the friendship dynamics around it.

During the heart rate challenge, Belle’s performance included a bold flirtation and a kiss that immediately sent ripples through the group. In the aftermath, conversations shifted from “who likes who” to “who owes whom a heads-up,” with other islanders urging Belle to address the situation directly with the person most affected by Scott’s recent relationship history.

A key tension is that Belle has previously criticized behavior she viewed as disloyal in the villa. That history is now being used as the measuring stick for her own actions, turning a standard flirtation arc into a credibility test.

The “hypocrisy” backlash and villa etiquette

Viewer reaction has been sharply divided. One side argues that in an all-stars environment—where nearly everyone arrives with baggage—romance moves quickly and nobody can “reserve” someone who is newly single. The other side sees Belle’s approach as inconsistent with her earlier stances, especially when it involves someone linked to her social circle.

This is where villa etiquette becomes the real story. The show’s unwritten rules often matter as much as the official ones, and “having a chat first” is treated as a sign of respect even when no one is technically doing anything wrong.

Key points driving the debate:

• Belle’s earlier comments about loyalty are being compared to her current actions.

• Scott’s recent breakup makes the timeline feel sensitive, even if he’s single.

• The expectation of a private conversation before pursuing someone remains a major social rule inside the villa.

What the heart rate challenge changed

The heart rate challenge is designed to destabilize couples by putting flirtation on full display. This time, it appears to have accelerated a storyline that may have been quietly building: Belle and Scott have had a visible comfort level throughout the series, and the challenge gave Belle a stage to turn that closeness into a headline moment.

It also forces clarity. After a challenge like this, islanders typically have to define intentions quickly—either by pursuing the new connection openly or by walking it back to avoid social blowback. Scott’s own stance has seemed less decisive, which adds fuel to the tension: if he’s not fully committed to Belle, her move carries more social risk.

What to watch in the next episodes

The next stretch likely hinges on two conversations: what Belle says directly to the person most impacted by Scott’s prior coupling, and what Scott says about whether Belle is a genuine romantic prospect or a safe friendship in a chaotic villa.

The all-stars format tends to compress timelines. Feelings and grievances that might take weeks to emerge in a regular season can surface in a couple of episodes because returning contestants know the playbook—and viewers already have opinions about them. For Belle, that means every decision is being judged against a pre-existing narrative: confident, outspoken, and unwilling to tolerate disrespect.

If she handles the situation with directness and transparency, the storyline can pivot from backlash to redemption. If the conversations stay vague—or if Scott keeps sending mixed signals—the villa may treat the situation as less a romance and more a social misstep.

Sources consulted: Radio Times, Capital FM, Heart, Entertainment Daily