Virgin Island season 2: Meet the new experts, returning team and the one therapist missing after she hit out at show
Season 1 expert Joy Rigel hit out and said her 'just the physical side of things was shown'
Virgin Island returns for season 2 tonight (April 27), and it doesn’t just bring a new group of participants – it brings a significantly expanded line-up of intimacy experts.
The show’s format blends therapy, sexological bodywork and surrogate partner therapy, with professionals guiding contestants through emotional blocks, intimacy anxiety and, in some cases, physical experiences designed to rebuild confidence around sex and connection.
This year, Channel 4 has doubled down on expertise, adding new specialists while bringing back the core team who defined season 1.
Here’s a full breakdown of who’s who, what they do on the show and what they’ve said about returning as experts on the new season of Virgin Island.
Virgin Island experts Dr Danielle Harel and Celeste Hirschman back for season 2
Dr Danielle Harel is a sex and relationship coach and co-founder of the Somatica Institute. She leads the emotional and relational framework of the retreat, working with participants on attachment, desire and communication.
Her role on the show involves group therapy-style sessions, emotional unpacking and helping contestants understand their intimacy patterns.
She has described the show’s purpose as tackling “how people actually learn intimacy in real life, not theory”.
On returning for season 2, she has said the show matters because it reflects a real cultural shift in how young adults experience sex and connection, particularly amid what she and other experts describe as a growing “sex anxiety” trend among Gen Z.
Speaking about season 2 being expanded to eight episodes, Danielle said it meant they could introduce new workshops for the virgins. Speaking to Channel 4, she said: “Because we had even more time with them, we had the opportunity to help them go deeper with their emotional growth and communication skills through exercises such as the I Feel Game and Boundary Mapping.”
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Celeste Hirschman – Sex and Relationship Coach
Celeste Hirschman, also co-founder of the Somatica Institute, works alongside Dr Harel to guide emotional and physical intimacy development.
On the show, she focuses on embodiment, pleasure and helping participants reconnect with their bodies without shame.
She has previously said the work is about helping people “move from fear into curiosity”, especially when it comes to touch and sexual confidence.
In interviews around the show’s return, she has described season 2 as “deeper and more emotionally complex”, reflecting how quickly participants now arrive with layered anxiety around sex and dating.
She said: “It was so wonderful that they had some familiarity with the concept, so they came to the island with very well-thought out and specific goals. This made it easier for them to progress quickly and reach new heights of confidence, awareness and intimacy in a short period of time.”
Kat Slade – Surrogate Partner Therapist
Kat Slade is a surrogate partner therapist, working directly with participants in structured, consent-led intimacy sessions.
Her role is the most misunderstood on the show: she works alongside clinical therapists to help participants overcome physical and emotional barriers to intimacy through gradual, guided touch and connection exercises.
She has said her job is about creating “a safe environment where people can learn intimacy in real time, not just talk about it”.
Kat returns after being one of the most talked-about figures in season 1, where her work sparked national debate.
On coming back, she has framed the show’s importance as normalising conversations around sexual shame, saying the retreat gives people a chance to “learn connection without pressure or judgement”.
She told Channel 4 why she returned ahead of the series launch: “Seeing the real, lasting transformations from the first series made it feel great to come back. And it’s a meaningful environment to be part of.”
Andre Lazarus – Surrogate Partner Therapist
Andre Lazarus also returns as a surrogate partner therapist, working alongside Kat in one-to-one sessions with participants. His role focuses on helping participants build confidence through touch-based exercises, communication,and emotional safety.
He has described surrogate work as “a feedback loop of trust”, explaining that people learn intimacy through real-time interaction rather than theory.
On returning for season 2, he has said the expansion of the show allows for “more nuanced journeys rather than quick breakthroughs”.
“I hope people walk away with the sense that they are not stuck or broken. Regardless of what they or someone they know might be struggling with in their intimate life,” he said.
Aisha Paris Smith – Sexological Bodyworker
Returning Aisha Paris Smith is a sexological bodyworker, focusing on physical awareness, breathwork and embodied confidence.
On the show, she runs workshops that help participants understand arousal, relaxation and body connection in a non-judgemental environment.
She has said the most important part of her work is “rebuilding trust in your own body”, especially for people with sexual anxiety or trauma history.
She returns for season 2 because she believes the show is “one of the few spaces where sexual shame is actually addressed directly rather than avoided”.
Dr Abby Sheneman – Clinical Therapist
Dr Abby Sheneman is a clinical therapist who provides psychological oversight and individual therapy sessions for participants.
Her work on the show focuses on emotional safety, trauma processing and ensuring participants are supported alongside the more physical aspects of the retreat.
She has described the show as “carefully structured, not sensational”, emphasising the importance of ethical boundaries.
On returning, she has said season 2 expands the therapeutic depth, with “more time to properly work through individual histories”.
New experts joining season 2: Shelby Devlin – BDSM Coach
Shelby Devlin joins as a BDSM and kink educator, introducing structured conversations around power, trust, consent and exploration.
Her role is educational rather than performative, helping participants understand boundaries and communication in sexual dynamics.
She has said she joined the show because it treats sexuality as something “to be understood, not judged”.
Shelby said: “I know I made a meaningful impact during my time on the island, and my deepest hope is that this extends beyond the experience itself to the people watching at home. If even one person feels seen, inspired, or more empowered in their relationship to their own desires, I would consider that a success.”
Risdon Roberts – Surrogate Partner Therapist
Risdon Roberts is a new surrogate partner therapist joining Kat and Andre.
She works in hands-on intimacy progression sessions, focusing on confidence-building and overcoming physical anxiety around touch.
She has said the show’s approach is valuable because it allows people to “experience intimacy safely, step by step”.
Risdon added to Channel 4: “As a queer woman I appreciated how there was so much room on the show for the cast to explore their divergent identities, attractions and sexualities. I also really enjoyed the sex education elements of the show because those are some of my favourite parts of the work.”
Ilil Lunkry – Sexological Bodyworker
Newcomer Ilil Lunkry joins the bodywork team. She runs sessions focused on physical awareness and relaxation techniques.
Her work centres on helping participants reduce tension and reconnect with bodily sensation.
She has described the show as “a rare opportunity to make sexual wellbeing part of mainstream conversation”.
Jason King – Sexological Bodyworker
Jason King also joins the expanded bodywork team, supporting group and one-to-one exercises around embodiment and confidence.
He has said the retreat environment allows participants to “rebuild trust in physical connection without pressure or expectation”.
Who didn’t return from Season 1 – and why
Not every expert from season 1 returned for season 2. Joy Rigel, who was on the show as an intimacy coach last year, hasn’t returned.
Speaking to Entertainment Daily last year about her experience of season 1, Joy appeared to hint at the reasons she might not return for season 2.
She said: “I wish that they [the producers] weren’t focussed on certain things just for the benefit of the whole public. Like, my work got cut out and just the physical side of things was shown.”
Joy then added: “I’m grateful for that, but as far as the other therapists, we’re all kind of like: ‘Well, we didn’t get a lot from the show. Our businesses didn’t grow. We didn’t get a lot of publicity.’
“It’s just a shame that it wasn’t highlighted. I have had a talk about coming back for series 2 but I’m not sure. You give a lot of yourself to do that sort of thing and I don’t have creative rights. So I’m thinking about it.”
It hasn’t been revealed why Joy isn’t among the season 2 experts.
Read more: Meet the 12 new virgins taking part in season 2 of Virgin Island
