A new batch of singletons are about to descend on the famous Love Island villa for another long, hot summer of cracking on and pieing off.
We’re going to be seeing a hell of a lot more of them in the coming weeks as Love Island fever undoubtedly grips the nation once again, so if you’re gagging for the skinny on the Islanders, there’s a lot we can already tell you about them…
1. Sharon has been playing a vital role during the pandemic
Having been a civil servant since she was 18, Sharon worked for the Department of Health for a period during the pandemic, helping deliver testing kits and managing the operations.
“It’s been an intense year,” she said.
Sharon previously worked on the Brexit policy as operations lead for the Department of Transport before flying off to enter the villa.
2. Sharon knows Molly-Mae Hague through the pageant scene
Beauty queen Sharon won Miss International UK in 2018 and knows series five runner-up Molly-Mae Hague through the pageant world, as they shared the same pageant director.
3. Sharon is a Young Women’s Trust Ambassador
“When I went to Japan for Miss International, I became an ambassador against domestic violence of women in Japan,” she explained.
“I did a few campaigns on period poverty and worked with a few organisations and charities. I signed up to be one of their sponsors and they approached me to become an ambassador.”
4. Aaron has worked at two Royal weddings
As part of his job as a luxury events host, Aaron worked at the weddings of Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice.
“I hosted and chatted. It was nice and intimate,” he said. “Everyone’s chill. In my job you meet a lot of famous people.”
However, he added he’s “not really interested” in dating them, “unless you’re Beyoncé”.
He also named Stormzy as the biggest celebrity he’s ever met, having hosted the winner’s room a the Brit Awards in 2020.
5. Aaron is a secret artist
Aaron said his special talent is that he paints “very realistic portraits”.
“One I am doing at the moment is kind of abstract because I never do abstract stuff, so I was trying to push myself out there,” he added.
6. Liberty was proposed to while working at Nando’s
The model and waitress has caught the eye of a few customers while working at Nando’s, even getting a proposal of marriage.
She recalled: “It was a bit unexpected! He was on his own, he’d come into the restaurant every week and he got down on one knee and was like, ‘Will you marry me?’.
“But in his hand, it was a charity support badge not a diamond ring or nothing. So I was thinking, ‘that’s one way of saying I’m a charity case when it comes to love!’.”
7. Hugo played cricket for England’s physical disability team
The PE teacher, who was born with club foot, travelled the world playing for the team, including to Bangladesh and Dubai.
He said of his disability: “I had lots of operations when I was a kid. You can only really tell when I walk barefoot. I’ve got a really short achilles heel. I walk slightly on my tip toes.”
Hugo added that he loves being able to “pass on that enthusiasm to be physically active to the younger generation” in his role as a teacher.
8. Shannon used to be a glamour model
“I loved those days,” Shannon said of the job she had shortly after turning 18. “I’ve got nothing to be ashamed of, they were my glory days.”
Shannon continues to work as a model, including some commercial work, but said she is now “more on Instagram and YouTube”. She also works as a DJ.
9. Shannon once tried out for Britain’s Got Talent
Shannon loves singing and tried out for Britain’s Got Talent when she was around 11 years old.
However, she pulled out of the show after getting “scared” and didn’t make it to TV.
“I went on Britain’s Got Talent and I got through, and I sang Alesha Keys No One, bless me,” she was quoted by the Daily Mail as saying.
“And I shit out, I didn’t go on it, I got too scared.”
10. Shannon already has the biggest Instagram following out of all the Islanders
Following the reveal of this year’s Islanders, Shannon’s follower count stood at 171,000 – way ahead of the others.
Kaz was next with 69k, while the Islander on the least followers was Aaron with 3k.
The full rundown was: Shannon – 171k, Kaz – 69k, Sharon – 23k, Liberty – 16k, Toby – 14k, Brad – 14k, Hugo – 11k, Jake – 11k, Faye – 8k, Chloe – 7k, Aaron – 3k
11. Kaz already works with a string of major brands
While most Love Island contestants dream of brand tie-ins once they come out of the villa, Kaz has already modelled for the likes of Boux Avenue and Primark thanks to her role as a fashion blogger and influencer.
She featured in the lingerie brand’s campaign Summer Dreaming earlier this year, alongside former Islander Malin Andersson.
Kaz – who already had a large following on Instagram before being announced for the show – also said she creates “content on social media for brands and my followers”.
She added: “TikTok is great – so new and fresh.”
12. Jake once slid into Billie Faiers’ DMs
Jake admitted he has a crush on former The Only Way Is Essex and The Mummy Diaries star Billie, describing her as his ”ideal woman”.
“I think for a laugh once with the boys, I messaged her,” he said. “I can’t remember what I messaged her. She’s a lady, she’s just lush.”
13. Toby is a semi-professional footballer
Toby is following in the footsteps of last year’s winner Finn Tapp as the villa’s resident footballer. He explained how his life has changed since he joined his current team.
“I’ve played football since I was about six, but it’s really come into a new light for the past year since I joined a team called Hashtag United,” Toby said.
“They’re very social media focused. Everything is on YouTube, Instagram and Twitter. Playing with them has really made me fall in love with the game again.”
14. Chloe used to play football too
Chloe revealed she used to play for Oxford City between the ages of eight and 14.
“I can’t do keepy uppies, not anymore,” she laughed.
15. Faye takes inspiration from another reality show in her day job
In her role as a lettings manager, Faye admitted she tries to make it as glamorous as in the hit Netflix reality series Selling Sunset.
“I try to make it as Selling Sunset as possible,” she said. “I’m definitely there in the mini dresses, boobs out, bum out, turning up and you can see the wives say to their husband, ‘You’re staying outside’. It’s so fun.”
16. Faye looks after guide dogs
“I drop them off at school, I go to work, live my best life at work, pick them up and have them overnight and all weekend,” she said.
“Whoever comes into my live needs to realise they are second to the dogs.”
17. Brad reckons he is far from a “top shagger”
Brad, who has been single for two years after coming out of a long-term relationship, claims he “doesn’t get much attention” from women, and believes people often get the wrong impression of him.
“Sometimes lasses turn their heads if I walk in, but it doesn’t happen often. I try, but sometimes it just doesn’t work,” he said.
“People would probably think I’m a top shagger but obviously I’m fucking far from it. The last time I had sex, it was the end of 2019.
“Everyone gets the wrong impression of us, everyone takes face value and thinks ‘oh he’s arrogant, this, that’ – I’m none of that,” he added.
Love Island starts at 9pm Monday 28 June on ITV2 and ITV Hub. Episodes are available the following morning on BritBox.
