Lydia Abela and daughter lunch with Love Island cast at Girgenti palace

Lydia Abela and her daughter landed themselves a private lunch with the cast of popular reality TV show Love Island Malta at the prime minister's official residence in Girgenti.

Contestants Sven Fabri, Andriy John, Chelsea Bagnall-Falzon, Allen Piscopo, Dale Mallia Marie Christine Caruana, Gaby Cook and Kyle Curmi all uploaded selfies and photos with the Prime Minister's wife and daughter Giorgia Mae at the Girgenti Palace grounds on Instagram.

Replying to questions by this newspaper, an Office of the Prime Minister spokesperson said no public funds were disbursed for the event’s organisation. Questions on who paid for the event, remained unanswered.

Girgenti Palace is situated in the countryside in the outskirts of Siġġiewi and was built in 1625 as the summer residence of Malta's inquisitor. It is also known as the Inquisitor's Palace. It is now an official residence of the Maltese Prime Minister of Malta.

Lydia Abela with Love Island contestant Andriy John (Photo: Instagram)

Love Island broke Malta’s TV viewership record, with a total of 239,000 viewers tuning in to watch the final where Allen and Chelsea walked off with €20,000 in prize money.

Love Island Malta's premiere in May also set a record with 160,000 viewers. The viewership numbers skyrocketed in subsequent weeks, with an average of 170,000 viewers tuning in to watch the full reality TV series.

Lydia Abela with Love Island contestant Marie Christine Caruana (Photo: Instagram)

“93% of 16-25-year-olds in Malta watched Love Island,” presenter Yazmin Helledie told viewers before announcing winners Allen and Chelsea.

Driven by the V-Squared powerhouse and TV presenter Ben Camilleri, Media Exclusive Limited acquired the rights for the dating reality show from ITV Studios – the first of its kind to be aired on Maltese television.

The show is broadcast in over 20 countries, including the United Kingdom, the USA, Australia, Spain, the Netherlands, and Norway. Over four million viewers watch Love Island UK each season.