Love Island 2023: All the contestants who have entered (and left) the villa so far
All the islanders who have joined – and left – the villa so far
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Your support makes all the difference.Love Island 2023 is well underway, with icks, abs and tans returning to our screens for the show’s second ever winter edition.
Maya Jama is host the hit ITV reality show for the first time. Jama, 28, was unveiled as Love Island’s new presenter in October last year after Laura Whitmore announced her exit.
Last season, we saw Ekin-Su and Davide take home the cash prize, and the couple is still going strong now.
This year, a fresh batch of singles are in South Africa in the hope of finding love.
Stay tuned for live updates as and when new contestants are announced.
Here are your 2023 Love Island Winter cast...
Tanya Manhenga, 22
Tanya entered the villa in the hope that being around “lots of different people will help me work out who it is I may want”. The 22-year-old Liverpudlian is a biomedical science student. On the side, she is also an influencer.
Tanya has Vitiligo, which is a skin pigmentation condition. She said, however, that “you may not even notice it”. Tanya also said she doesn’t care about covering up the pigmentation on her lip and in her hair, adding that “it’s a vibe”.
Kai Fagan, 24
Kai is a Science and PE teacher from Manchester who said he was “single by choice” before entering the villa. The 24-year-old said he has “quite high expectations” and does not commit to anyone unless he is “absolutely buzzing” over them. Kai said his friends would describe him as “chilled, caring, very impulsive and a good guy”, adding that he always puts family and friends first.
In addition to his job as a teacher, he also plays semi-professional rugby for Burnage RFC, having previously played rugby 7s for Jamaica. He has three different degrees and went to three different universities.
Lana Jenkins, 25
The 25-year-old from Luton said that she falls in love quickly. “I tend to know quite soon if I could fall in love with that person and then, as long as everything is going well, I’ll probably tell them I love them in about a week,” she said.
Throughout her career as a make-up artist, she has worked with many celebrities. A fun fact about Lana is that when she lived in Spain as a six-year-old, she appeared in an episode of Benidorm as an extra.
Ron Hall, 25
The 25-year-old from Essex said that he would bring “fun and charisma” to the villa, adding that he is “the most genuine person you’ll meet”. The financial advisor also said he is a “nice person – which you don’t find these days”.
Ron is blind in one eye, after suffering a football injury when he was eight years old. “I went in for a header and got kicked in the face,” he recalled. “I’ve got two different coloured eyes, one blue and one green. It’s added to my character, there are so many people that are worse off than me. And if anything, losing something like that makes you realise that. It’s not hindered me in any shape or form. It’s a good conversation starter I must admit.”
Will Young, 23
Will has said that growing up on a farm has made it difficult “juggling relationships and work”. Sounding serious about love, the 23-year-old farmer from Buckinghamshire said that he is at a time in his life “where I’m mature enough to find a wife”.
Will practises meditation every night for 20-25 minutes, adding that “it’s a nice way to self-reflect”. He said that he would like Sir David Attenborough to play him in a movie of his life.
Tanyel Revan, 26
Tanyel is a 26-year-old hair stylist from North London. Asked what she’d bring to the villa, Tanyel said: “Energy, confidence. I’m funny, loud, feisty, charismatic.” She also said that she is “hard to get” and “a very loyal person”.
Shedding some light on her type, Tanyel revealed that her celebrity crush is Channing Tatum who is “handsome but not too pretty”. She said: “I don’t like pretty boys, they give me the ‘ick’ because they always have a crap personality.”
Shaq Muhammad, 24
Shaq from London entered the villa having not had the “best luck with previous relationships”. The 24-year-old airport security officer sounded serious about finding a partner before he went in, saying: “Hopefully I do come out with my future wife. The person I hope to marry one day. Hopefully she’s in the villa”.
Shaq said that he wears his heart on his sleeve and that if he finds someone he clicks with, “I fall very hard, very fast”. A romantic, Shaq cries every time he watches the Nicholas Sparks film adaptation Dear John starring Amanda Seyfried and Channing Tatum.
Olivia Hawkins, 27
The 27-year-old from Brighton has never been in a relationship before. Olivia said she’ll bring “fun” and “vibes” to the villa, and “maybe a little bit of drama”.
Olivia’s work as a ring girl and actor has brought her close to celebrities. Speaking about her claim to fame, she said: “I did a film with Jason Statham and had a nice 10-minute convo about life. I’ve been a ring girl for KSI, I played a waitress in James Bond with Daniel Craig and I’ve also been a body double for Michelle Keegan and Emma Watson.”
Tom Clare, 23
Tom is a 23-year-old footballer from Skelmersdale in Lancashire. He plays for non-league Macclesfield FC and was the team’s top scorer from the 2021/2022 season.
He has been granted an “extended period of leave” to appear on the show, with the club saying that Tom had expressed an “unwavering desire” to return after the show.
Tom was the first bombshell to join the villa, having been voted for by the public.
Jessie Wynter, 26
Joining Aaron was Jessie, a personal trainer and influencer who appeared on series two of Love Island Australia.
Hailing from Tasmania but based in Sydney, Jessie said that she was a bit of a “wild child” and would be bringing her Australian way of dating to the show.
“With Aussies, what you see is what you get,” she said. “I’m going to go in very raw, don’t overthink things, and take things as they come - the laid back Aussie attitude. Anything that doesn’t go right, it’ll just be like, ‘Oh well…’”
Ellie Spence, 25
While viewers voted that Tom should be the first bombshell to enter the villa, alternative bombshell Ellie had to wait 10 days to join the show.
A business development executive at a law firm, Norwich native Ellie said she wants to find her husband in the villa after three years of being single and a dating “roster” that’s run “pretty dry”.
Samie Elishi, 22
Two weeks into the series, estate agent coordinator Samie joined the villa.
The 22-year-old from London said that she was “a really honest person” with “no filter”, adding: “I won’t take rubbish from anyone, especially when it comes to guys!”
Asked her elevator pitch for herself, Samie said: “I’m fun and I’m fit! I’ve got to back myself or no one else will!”
Jordan Odofin, 28
The oldest islander in the villa comes, 28-year-old Jordan comes from London, where he works as a senior HR advisor.
Explaining why the girls should pick him, he said: “I’m 6’5 so I’m tall and I’ve got a good physique. I’ve got a good dress sense – and apparently I’m easy on the eye, too!”
Jordan added that he’s on the hunt for a woman who speaks her mind, saying: “I need a girl that can put me in my place, therefore I’ve got my eye on all the strong women in the villa!” he said.
Casey O’Gorman, 26
Casey is a 26-year-old recruitment consultant from Tring. He’s currently single as he’s been taking a break after the end of a previous relationship. But now, he’s ready for love again.
“I came out of a serious relationship a year ago and I haven’t really been looking for anything for the last year but after lots of fun, I’ve realised that now I want to settle down and find something real,” he explained.
He also claimed he was going to be “the cheekiest boy in the villa”.
Dumped islanders
David Salako, 24
David is a 24-year-old money adviser from Essex, who joined the villa as a bombshell alongside Zara on day three.
Ahead of entering the villa as a bombshell on day three, he said his loved ones would describe him as a “joker” who is “very ambitious and just a good person to be around”.
However, we didn’t get to see much of his charms, as the first recoupling left him single and saw him leave the “island” on episode five (Friday 20 January).
Haris Namani, 21
Entering the villa on day one, the 21-year-old TV salesman from Doncaster called Love Island “the best opportunity for me to find the girl and find the right one”. Haris said that he has never “taken a girl home”, explaining that he would not say he has fallen in love with anyone until they meet his mum and dad, or siblings.
Haris went on to call himself “a unique guy” who is “confident, not awkward, especially with the girls”. He also said he is “friendly, and very respectful”.
However, he was dumped from the villa on day nine.
Anna-May Robey, 20
The 20-year-old payroll administrator from Swansea said she was joining the show after being single for “quite a while”. Recalling her worst date ever, she said one man once fell asleep during their meal and that she “had to clink his wine glass to wake him up”.
According to Anna-May, her friends have described her as “energetic” and “always running around singing and screaming”.
Even though she joined the show in the original line-up, Anna-May was dumped on day nine along with Haris.
Zara Deniz Lackenby-Brown, 25
Zara is a 25-year-old model and property developer.
She studied musical theatre and performance at university, and has appeared in several music videos.
Ahead of entering the villa, she said: “I’ve since gone on to do lots of modelling and dancing for music videos for UK and global artists, I’ve worked with people like Hardy Caprio, Headie One, Aitch, Tion Wayne and more.”
She was dumped from the show after a week, following a coupling up in which the boys picked.
Spencer Wilks, 24
Spencer joined the show alongside Ellie, making quite a stir as he explained to the girls that he was an e-commerce business owner who sold sex toys.
Speaking about his claim to fame, Spencer revealed that his cousin was a professional MMA fighter who starred in the 2018 Netflix documentary titled The Game Changers, in which he travelled the world to learn about the best diets for professional athletes.
Despite joining as a bombshell contestant, he was eliminated in the third week of the show.
Aaron Waters, 25
A model and content creator from Melbourne, Aaron appeared on series three of Love Island Australia and said he hoped to open himself up in a way he hadn’t on his first villa experience.
“This time round I want to be testing the waters by being open-minded and giving everyone a chance,” he said. “In terms of my experience in the previous villa, I went in there wanting to be myself and I can truly say I felt comfortable in myself in every way so I’d never change it.”
He was dumped from the villa along with Spencer.
Love Island airs Sunday to Friday at 9pm on ITV2.
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