Channel 4‘s brand new show Virgin Island has already got people talking and its cast of hopeful singletons has now been revealed.
Virgin Island follows the journey of 12 adults, who have never had sex before, as they travel to Croatia to take part in a retreat to see if they can take things further.
A range of approaches are used from group sessions, to one-on-ones with coaches and surrogate partner therapy as they hope to lose their virginity.
The groundbreaking new six-part series sees sexologists Dr Danielle Harel and Celeste Hirschman and their team, guide the group of virgins on a unique course.
The show is set to premiere on Channel 4 on Monday and the 12 people who signed up in the hopes of losing their virginity have been revealed by The Sun.
From a receptionist who always felt sex was too risky to a civil servant who has struggled with intimacy and dating apps, here is the full line-up for the bold new dating show.
Channel 4 ‘s brand new show Virgin Island has already got people talking and its cast of hopeful singletons has now been revealed
Ben, 30, Civil Servant 
Among them is Ben, 30, a civil servant who’s never quite got the hang of dating. Despite endless swiping on dating apps through university, he never found a spark that lasted
Leading the cast of hopefuls is Ben, 30, a civil servant who’s never quite got the hang of dating.
Despite endless swiping on dating apps through university, he never found a spark that lasted and says he’s struggled with intimacy his whole life.
Ben said he originally said there was no chance of him signing up when a friend sent him the casting call, before he eventually came around to the idea.
However, Ben is now hopeful that the show will finally help him to build the confidence to get his kit off.
Emma, 23, Food Worker 
Emma, 23, a food worker, said sex has terrified her. While her friends were coupling up, she felt completely alone in her inexperience in the bedroom
Emma, 23, a food worker, said sex has always terrified her.
While her friends were coupling up, she felt completely alone in her inexperience in the bedroom.
She admitted she felt ‘outnumbered’ at being the only virgin in her friendship group and didn’t think any other adults were dealing with the same struggles as her.
Emma said she has had to battle previous ‘traumas’ and signed up to the show to stop feeling left out and speak to other people going through the same thing.
Dave, 24, Accountant 
Dave, 24, described himself as a ‘boring’ accountant with a boring life and a non-existent love life. When friends jokingly suggested he apply, he ended up seeing it as a lifeline
Dave, 24, described himself as a ‘boring’ accountant with a non-existent love life, but he’s hoping to change things.
When his friends jokingly suggested he apply, he ended up seeing it as a lifeline and was eager to land himself on the island.
He said: ‘An initial joke by some friends for some cheap laughs slowly became the opportunity of a lifetime.’
Dave said he has always struggled to open up to people and now feels ‘invisible’, but he is hoping the ‘drastic’ step will help him get things back on track.
Jason, 25, Admin worker 
Jason, 25, who is in admin, admitted he’d felt like a failure in both sex and social settings. He applied to be on the show hoping to fix his confidence
Jason, 25, who works in admin, candidly admitted he’d felt like a failure in both sex and social settings.
He applied to be on the show hoping to fix his confidence and came away with more than he expected.
Jason confessed it helped him to gain social skills more generally as he praised his decision to sign up to the programme.
Louise, 22, Care Advisor 
Louise, 22, a care advisor, looked confident on the outside but said she feared letting anyone in. When a friend sent her the casting call as a joke, but she took it seriously
Louise, 22, a care advisor, might look confident on the outside but admitted she has always feared letting anyone in.
When a friend sent her the casting call as a joke, she decided to take it seriously because she devastatingly felt that there must be something ‘wrong with her’.
Louise said: ‘I never really imagined applying for a show like Virgin Island but my friend sent me the application as a joke, and I thought, ”Why not?”
‘I was at the point where I was willing to try anything.’
Charlotte, 29, Care Worker 
Charlotte, 29, a care worker, never expected to hit 30 without having sex. After dropping 40kg in an amazing body transformation, she wanted an overhaul
Charlotte, 29, a care worker, never expected to hit 30 without having sex, but is now hoping to change things for herself.
She has overhauled her lifestyle and undergone a body transformation, dropping 40kg, and now hopes to take on the next step in her journey.
Charlotte said she wants to rid herself of the ‘shame’ she has felt around her body and her desire.
She doesn’t want to hinder herself in any future relationships and signed up to the show in the hopes of finding a connection.
Holly, 23, Dog Groomer 
Holly, 23, a dog groomer, revealed she is ready to take her personal level to the next level as she has held back from ever going past a kiss
Holly, 23, a dog groomer, is ready to take things to the next level after previously holding back from ever going past a kiss.
She bravely told how bullying over her weight wrecked her self-confidence and even the thought of sex gave her anxiety.
Holly wanted a relationship but felt she had to work through issues herself before taking on that step.
Now, she has signed up to the show in the hopes of overcoming her anxieties and hopes to get something out of her time on the retreat.
Pia, 23, Digital Marketing Assistant 
Pia, 23, worked in digital marketing and had been single for four years. Diagnosed with vaginismus, she said intimacy had always been painful – physically and emotionally
Pia, 23, works in digital marketing and had been single for four years before signing up for the show.
Diagnosed with vaginismus, she said intimacy had always been painful – physically and emotionally.
Vaginismus is described by the NHS as when ‘the vaginal muscles involuntarily contract, making vaginal penetration difficult or impossible’.
It is more common in women in their late teens to early 30s and can be triggered by experiences including fear, anxiety or past experiences.
‘I wanted to overcome the pain and anxiety I felt when exploring penetrative sex,’ Pia revealed.
She added that she has always found intimacy ‘overwhelming’ and struggled to process any emotions – whether negative or positive.
Taylor, 29, Receptionist 
Taylor, 29, a receptionist, said sex always felt more risky than rewarding – especially as a teen. She said’I spent my whole adult life wondering why I found sexual things so difficult
Taylor, 29, a receptionist, said sex always felt more risky than rewarding – especially as a teenager.
She told how she only heard people talk about how having sex led to having a child, which she wasn’t ready for, leading to her abstaining from losing her virginity.
She admitted she has felt ‘fetishised’ as a virgin in her 20s and said her potential partners’ attitudes towards it simply left her feeling ‘uncomfortable’.
Taylor said she has always wondered why she found sex more difficult than her peers in her adult life so decided to sign up to the show.
Tom, 23, Drama Student 
Tom, 23, a drama student, blamed the pandemic for throwing off his love life as he doesn’t feel like he got the true university experience
Tom, 23, a drama student, blamed the pandemic for throwing off his love life as he doesn’t feel like he got the true university experience.
While his friends seemed to have no issues in the bedroom and quickly moved on, he got left behind – and began to question himself.
He said: ‘I always found myself to be a freak because I struggled to lose my virginity whilst others around me continued to pop their cherries.’
Tom admitted he was filled with self-loathing and it greatly began to affect his mental health, so he jumped at the chance to turn his love life around on the programme.
Viraj, 25, Personal Trainer 
Viraj, 25, a personal trainer, looked confident but admitted he struggled with basic small talk – especially with women
Viraj, 25, a personal trainer, looks confident but admitted he has often struggled with basic small talk – especially with women.
He said intimacy has never been the problem but his struggles to be confident enough to express himself in front of women.
Viraj said his friends encouraged him to sign up for the show to get him out of his comfort zone.
Though he was left nervous about how he was fare with his antics being shown on TV, he decided to take the plunge and sign up.
Zac, 28, Delivery Driver 
Zac, 28, a delivery driver, said he’d never been more ready to lose his virginity and is considered one of the most eager of the group to have sex
Delivery driver Zac, 28, said he has never been more ready to lose his virginity and is considered one of the most eager of the group to have sex.
When he heard about the show, he brushed it off at first, but then realised he wasn’t making progress on his own.
‘At first I was like – no way, I’m not gonna do that, but I started to think about it more and more, and I realised that I wasn’t really getting anywhere by myself, time was just passing me by with no real positive change,’ he said.
NAME: EMMA
AGE: 23
OCCUPATION: FOOD WORKER
Emma said: ‘I was the only virgin amongst my friendship group, I felt outnumbered.
‘I believed I was the only human experiencing adult life without intimacy but I couldn’t relax when there is the possibility of intimacy and I had to battle previous traumas.
‘The fact that this concept was being brought to TV made me realise being over 21 and never having sex was not as rare as I thought it was.’
NAME: BEN
AGED: 30
OCCUPATION: CIVIL SERVANT
Ben said: ‘A friend sent me the casting call for Virgin Island on social media. I’m not sure if he knew I was a virgin, but he knew I’d struggled in this area.
‘Funnily enough, my immediate response to his message was ‘not a chance’.’
NAME: DAVE
AGE: 24
OCCUPATION: ACCOUNTANT
Dave said: ‘An initial joke by some friends for some cheap laughs slowly became the opportunity of a lifetime.
‘I have always struggled to open up to people but this led me to feel invisible – a feeling I couldn’t take anymore.
‘I felt like it couldn’t continue and I wanted to do something drastic to get my life back on track.
NAME: JASON
AGE: 25
OCCUPATION: ADMIN WORKER
Jason said: ‘I always felt like a failure in terms of intimacy and socialness.
‘I know the island was primarily for intimacy, but it had
the amazing bonus of helping me improve my social skills – and for that, I will be forever grateful.’
NAME: LOUISE
AGE: 22
OCCUPATION: CARE ADVISOR
Louise said: ‘I never really imagined applying for a show like Virgin Island but my friend sent me the application as a joke, and I thought, ‘Why not?’
‘I was at the point where I was willing to try anything.
‘I had just accepted that there must’ve just been something wrong with me – I think the fact that my friends would see the word ‘virgin’ and think of me says enough to be honest.’
NAME: CHARLOTTE
AGE: 29
OCCUPATION: CARE WORKER
Charlotte said: ‘Because I wanted to rid myself of my shame that I had surrounding my body, and my desire, and my ability to give myself pleasure.
‘I wanted to be honest with myself so that I would not be hindered when having relationships in the future.’
NAME: HOLLY
AGE: 23
OCCUPATION: DOG GROOMER
She said: ‘I felt like I was at a point in my life where I was ready to experience being with someone, but I had a lot of anxiety and questions about myself that I felt I had to work through before taking that step.
‘I was definitely nervous, not knowing what to expect, what the others were going to be like, whether I was actually going to get anything out of it.’
NAME: PIA
AGE: 23
OCCUPATION: DIGITAL MARKETING ASSISTANT
Pia said: ‘I applied for Virgin Island because of my struggles with vaginismus.
‘I wanted to overcome the pain and anxiety I felt when exploring penetrative sex.
‘Plus, I found intimacy incredibly overwhelming.’
NAME: TAYLOR
AGE: 29
OCCUPATION: RECEPTIONIST
Taylor said: ‘I spent my whole adult life wondering why I found sexual things so difficult when others didn’t.
‘When I was a teenager, the risks of sex seemed to far outweigh the benefits, the only benefit anyone spoke of was babies, and I certainly wasn’t ready for one of those.
NAME: TOM
AGE: 23
OCCUPATION: DRAMA STUDENT
Tom said: ‘I always found myself to be a freak because I struggled to lose my virginity whilst others around me continued to pop their cherries.
‘It severely affected my mental health, filling me with self-loathing which in turn made me a worse person.’
NAME: VIRAJ
AGE: 25
OCCUPATION: PERSONAL TRAINER
Viraj said: ‘I had a massive struggle to express myself in front of women.
‘For me it wasn’t about the intimacy stage but more with the confidence side of talking to women and making small talk.
‘This whole idea was encouraged by my friends for me to get out of my comfort zone and go through with this.’
NAME: Zac
AGE: 23
OCCUPATION: DELIVERY DRIVER
Zac said: ‘There was a man reporting that Channel 4 was looking for adult virgins to take part in an experimental TV show. This was of course describing me.
‘At first I was like – no way, I’m not gonna do that, but I started to think about it more and more, and I realised that I wasn’t really getting anywhere by myself, time was just passing me by with no real positive change.’