Meet the Love Island bombshells as viewers are given the chance to vote

Meet the Love Island bombshells: For the first time ever viewers are given the chance to vote for the new Islander set to stir things up in the villa

Published: 08:17 GMT, 12 January 2023 | Updated: 08:27 GMT, 12 January 2023

Love Island 2023 is already introducing a twist, days before the winter series kicks off.

The ITV2 show announced on Thursday that for the first time ever they are giving the public the chance to choose the first male or female bombshell to enter the Villa.

The public can choose between Ellie Spencer, 25, a Business Development Executive at a law firm from Norwich and Tom Clare, 23, a semi-pro footballer from Barnsley.

Bombshell: Love Island announced on Thursday that for the first time ever they are giving the public the chance to choose the first male or female bombshell to enter the Villa

Ellie says she’s hoping to find the one after being single for three years, admitting ‘the roster is pretty dry, it’s been dry for the last year, I don’t know what happened, it’s just not been a great time for me so I’m ready to find my husband.’

Calling herself ‘fun, caring and smart,’ Ellie admits she’s single ‘because I fall in love really quick, but I fall out of it just as quickly. I could literally fall in love with a chair and then a week later be like, ‘Oh wait, no, that’s a chair…’’

As for what gives her the ick, she says it’s ‘overconfident guys and men that think they can get any girl when they think they are so fit and a 10/10 when in actual fact they are none of the above. I like confidence but not arrogance.’

The blonde bombshell admits she is accident-prone, revealing: ‘When I was drunk I climbed over the gates of my friend’s house, fell and almost lost my leg.’

‘I was in hospital for two weeks but they stitched me back up. It left me with a big scar on my leg but I’m so blasé about it, if I’m in a bikini you can’t not see it.’

Hoping for votes: The public can choose between Ellie Spencer, 25, a Business Development Executive at a law firm from Norwich and Tom Clare, 23, a semi-pro footballer from Barnsley

Tom is equally keen to land votes from viewers, promising he’ll bring a ‘good vibe’ the villa.

The footballer has big ambitions for love inside the villa, declaring ‘Since my ex-girlfriend, no-one’s really come to me and I’ve thought, ‘Wow’. Until I have that, I’m not really going to settle for less. Not in a bad way, but the next person I get with, I want to marry.’

His turn-offs include ‘when someone’s stuck up’ and ‘bad oral hygiene and a random one is ‘birthday make-up’ – you know when make-up is done professionally for an event and it’s just too much, like blue eyeshadow and stuff? Girls don’t need that.’

A celeb body double, a farmer and the show’s first partially-sighted contestant have been confirmed as the first ten singletons heading to the Love Island villa for the upcoming winter series.

Boxing ring girl and actress Olivia Hawkins, 27, who’s claim to fame is standing in for Michelle Keegan on the set of a fashion ad, is among the Islanders moving into the luxury South African villa on January 16.

Alongside Olivia, the show has signed their first ever partially-sighted contestant, Ron Hall, 26, while biomedical science student Tanya Manhenga, 22, PE teacher Kai Fagan, 24, makeup artist Lana Jenkins, 25, payroll assistant Anna-May Robey, 20, farmer Will Young, 23, Tanyal Revan, 26, a hair stylist, airport security officer Shaq Muhammad, 24, and TV salesman Haris Namani, 21, were also unveiled on Monday.

The ninth series of Love Island will be hosted for the first time by Maya Jam, after Laura Whitmore stepped down from the position following former presenter Caroline Flack’s tragic death in 2020.

LOVE ISLAND 2023: MEET THE CONTESTANTS

Tanya Manhenga

Name: Tanya Manhenga

Age: 22

Location: Liverpool

Occupation: Student and model

Something not many people know about her: ‘I have Vitiligo, which is a skin pigmentation, you may not even notice it.’

‘It’s on my lip and I have a stripe on my hair. Not many people know that but I think it’s quite cute.’

‘I don’t care about covering it up all the time, I think it’s a vibe.’

Lana Jenkins

Name: Lana Jenkins

Age: 25

Location: Luton

Occupation: Makeup artist

Something not many people know about her: ‘In my work as a makeup artist I’ve worked with lots of celebrities.

‘Also, when I was 6-years-old I used to live in Spain and I was in an episode of Benidorm as an extra.’

Anna-May Robey

Name: Anna-May Robey

Age: 20

Location: Swansea

Occupation: Payroll assistant

Something not many people know about her: ‘I went on a date once and I never saw him again.’

‘We went for food and shared a bottle of wine. As I was speaking to him he fell asleep!’

‘I had to clink his wine glass to wake him up.’

Tanyel Revan

Name: Tanyel Revan

Age: 26

Location: North London

Occupation: Hair stylist

Something not many people know about her: ‘My celebrity crush is Channing Tatum – I don’t like pretty boys, they give me the ‘ick’ because they always have a crap personality.’

‘Channing Tatum is handsome but not too pretty. He’s manly and he can dance.’

‘If a man can dance I’m in love with him straight away.’

Olivia Hawkins

Name: Olivia Hawkins

Age: 27

Location: Brighton

Occupation: Ring girl and actress

Something not many people know about her: ‘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.’

Kai Fagan

Name: Kai Fagan

Age: 24

Location: Manchester

Occupation: Science and PE teacher

Something not many people know about him: ‘I’m a Jamaican citizen. Because of that I played rugby 7s for Jamaica.’

‘I play semi-professional rugby now for Burnage RFC.’

‘I’ve technically got three different degrees and went to three different unis.’

Ron Hall

Name: Ron Hall

Age: 25

Location: Essex

Occupation: Financial advisor

Something not many people know about him: ‘On meeting me, you’d never know I am blind in one eye.’

‘It was the result of a football injury when I was 8. I’ve got two different coloured eyes, one blue and one green.’

Will Young

Name: Will Young

Age: 23

Location: Buckinghamshire

Occupation: Farmer

Something not many people know about him: ‘Every night I light a candle and meditate for 20-25 minutes.’

‘A girl I was seeing told me to meditate, I tried it and loved it. I stopped seeing her and carried on meditating!

‘It’s a nice way to self reflect’

Shaq Muhammad

Name: Shaq Muhammad

Age: 24

Location: London

Occupation: Airport security officer

Something not many people know about her: ‘I’m a very emotional person. It can be a blessing and a curse.’

‘Every time I watch Dear John I cry.

That’s my favourite film. Any time I’m with someone and they say, ‘Let’s watch a romantic film’, I’m like, ‘How about Dear John, how does that sound?’