For many contestants, their quest for romance on ITV2’s Love Island captivates the nation and often serves as their first brush of fame.
But as the line-up for Love Island 2019 has been unveiled ahead of the series’ premiere on June 3, it appears that some hopefuls already have connections to the UK’s celebrity circle through romantic relationships, close friendships and even short stints on reality TV shows.
The fresh cohort of singletons who boast links to famous faces include 2018 Islander Charlie Frederick’s ex-girlfriend Lucie Rose Donlan, TV personality Ellie Brown’s BFF Amber Rose Gill and Scottish reality star Anton Danyluk, as well as the younger brothers of Strictly’s AJ Pritchard and boxer Tyson Fury, Curtis and Tommy.
Brush of fame: As the line-up for Love Island 2019 has been unveiled, it appears that some hopefuls already have connections to the UK’s celebrity circle through romantic relationships, close friendships and even short stints on reality TV shows (pictured left: Lucie Rose Donlan with 2018 Islander Charlie Frederick, and right centre: Amber Rose Gill with Ellie Brown)
Ahead of her appearance on the show, surfer Lucie, 21, has revealed she previously dated model Charlie, 23, a mere matter of weeks after he was dumped from the island with his partner Hayley Hughes on last year’s edition of the series.
Lucie, who also detailed she’s briefly spoken to former TOWIE star Joey Essex, shared: ‘The last guy I was with was Charlie from last year’s Love Island. We got together a few weeks after he came out of the villa.’
With over 46,300 followers on Instagram, the blonde beauty would often share loved-up snaps with the handsome reality star, with the couple even enjoying a romantic trip to Spain back in October. It is unclear when Lucie, and Charlie, who was briefly linked to his co-star Megan Barton Hanson earlier this year, called it quits.
On screen: Anton Danyluk’s (far left) failed romance life has already been displayed to the masses as the 24-year-old appeared on internet-based series Glow, which aired for two seasons from 2016 till 2017 (pictured: second from left, Anton’s ex and co-star Denise Wilkie)
Former flame: Ahead of her appearance on the show, surfer Lucie, 21, has revealed she previously dated model Charlie, 23, a mere matter of weeks after he was dumped from the island with his partner Hayley Hughes on last year’s edition of the series (pictured on a photo shoot)
Ooh-la-la: It is unclear when the blonde beauty, who has over 46K Instagram followers, and handsome reality star Charlie called it quits
Beauty therapist Amber, 21, has not been shy of showing off her connections to the celeb social scene, as she is close pals with former Islanders Ellie and Adam Collard, and has enjoyed fun-filled nights out with Geordie Shore star Holly Hagan.
The honey-blonde bombshell, who currently has 4.4K followers on Instagram, will certainly turn heads in the villa with her incredibly-toned physique and stunning looks, which she often flaunts in sizzling social media snaps.
Gym owner Anton’s failed romance life has already been displayed to the masses as the 24-year-old appeared on internet-based series Glow, which aired for two seasons from 2016 till 2017.
During his stint on the show, which was Glasgow’s answer to The Only Way Is Essex, the fitness model and personal trainer often engaged in fiery arguments with former girlfriend Denise Wilkie, which even caused bar manager Denise to prematurely quit the second series.
Gym-honed: Anton, who previously appeared on Glasgow’s answer to The Only Way Is Essex, is a fitness model and personal trainer
Famous face: has even partied with club owner and Gary Lineker’s younger brother Wayne
Ballroom dancer Curtis, 23, first rose to fame on Ireland’s Dancing With The Stars in 2017, where he embarked on a relationship with co-star Emily Barker, 22.
In addition to being the younger brother of Strictly pro AJ, he has already experienced a split in the public eye, after hitting headlines over his break-up with Emily earlier this year.
Curtis, who has garnered 44.8k followers on Instagram from his dancing stint on the series, has bounced back to health after undergoing a knee surgery as a result of protecting his older sibling, 24, from being beaten up by a gang of thugs in a vicious brawl.
Ballroom dancer Curtis Pritchard, 23, first rose to fame on Ireland’s Dancing With The Stars in 2017, where he embarked on a relationship with co-star Emily Barker, 22.
Brave: Curtis, who has garnered 44.8k followers on Instagram from his dancing stint on the series, has bounced back to health after undergoing a knee surgery as a result of protecting his older sibling AJ, 24, from being beaten up by a gang of thugs in a vicious brawl
Insisting he’s his ‘own man’ with a boxing career in his own right, Tommy, the younger brother of heavyweight sportsman Tyson is no stranger to the spotlight.
Being connected the great and the good of the boxing world, including the likes of Ricky Hatton and David Price, the Manchester native, 20, has appeared to have already enjoyed his taste of fame.
Tommy recently hit headlines after his former girlfriend of two years Millie Roberts claimed he broke up with her to chase ‘money and fame’ on the show.
In an interview with Daily Star, she shared: ‘Going on this show is supposedly against everything he claimed to stand for.
He’s a champ! Insisting he’s his ‘own man’ with a boxing career in his own right, 20-year-old Tommy Fury, the younger brother of heavyweight sportsman Tyson is no stranger to the spotlight
Following in his brother’s famous footsteps: Controversial boxer Tyson, 30, prematurely revealed his brother Tommy is set to star in the forthcoming series of the dating show (pictured in December 2018)
Impressive: Being connected the great and the good of the boxing world, including the likes of Ricky Hatton (left) and David Price (right), the Manchester native has appeared to have already enjoyed his taste of fame
Bitter split: Tommy recently hit headlines after his former girlfriend of two years Millie Roberts claimed he broke up with her to chase ‘money and fame’ on the show
Celebs galore: Also boasting celeb links are pharmacist Anna Vakili, 28, who has rubbed shoulders with Dan Bilzerian (pictured left with Dan and sister Mandi), and Callum Macleod, also 28, who is a close pal of Welsh rugby player Josh Navidi (pictured right with Josh and a pal)
‘He wouldn’t even like me watching the programme and would say the girls were disgusting because of their lip fillers and Botox. He hates all that. But clearly he’s a liar. All he is after is money and fame – he’s a fake and a phoney.’
Also boasting celeb links are pharmacist Anna Vakili, 28, who has rubbed shoulders with Dan Bilzerian, and Callum Macleod, also 28, who is a close pal of Welsh rugby player Josh Navidi.
This year’s edition of Love Island will also star scientist Yewande Biala, 23, catering company owner Joe Garratt, 22, bodybuilder Michael Griffiths, 27, cougar-loving rugby player Sherif Lanre, 20, and former Miss West Sussex Amy Hart, 26, whose grandparents famously splashed out £5,000 on a boob job operation to help boost her self-esteem back in 2014.
In their element: Among the catalogue of names, Anna (left) stands out as she has become an Instagram sensation with her Kim Kardashian-esque curves. Former Miss West Sussex Amy Hart (right), 26, whose grandparents famously splashed out £5,000 on a boob job operation to help boost her self-esteem back in 2014, has also joined the line-up
Line-up: Catering company owner Joe Garratt, 22, who has admitted he has only ever been in one relationship, is pictured with Anthony Joshua
Pout and about: Scentist Yewande Biala, 23, is far from camera shy online
The series is to be fronted once again by Caroline Flack who, this time last year, was engaged to former Apprentice and Celebrity Big Brother star Andrew Brady.
Iain Stirling also returns with his inimitable take on all the island action as show narrator – remarking as the game of love gets underway.
The show sees the Islanders attempt to couple up in order to secure their places in the villa, with those who stay single finding themselves at risk of being dumped from the show.
Wow-factor! Bodybuilder and firefighter Michael Griffiths, 27, is also looking for love on the series
Quest for romance: Cougar-loving rugby player Sherif Lanre, 20, is expected to ruffle feathers in the house
Temptation is always rife for the Islanders, so loyalties will be tested, with surprise bombshell arrivals and unexpected twists and turns proving that the Love Island road to romance is never smooth.
Ultimately the public will decide their favourite couple, who will walk away from the villa with a life-changing cash prize, as they are crowned Love Island winners 2019 – taking the crowns from existing champions Dani Dyer and Jack Fincham, who split a matter of weeks ago.
This marked the final coupling from 2018’s season to end their relationships, with the likes of Wes Nelson and Megan, and Adam and Zara McDermott all splitting over the last few months.
LOVE ISLAND 2019: MEET THE CONTESTANTS
Strictly speaking: Curtis is AJ Pritchard’s kid brother
Name: Curtis Pritchard
Age: 23
Occupation: Latin and Ballroom Pro
Location: Shropshire
Claim To Fame: Curtis is a pro dancer on Dancing With The Stars in Ireland, and is the younger brother of Strictly Come Dancing’s AJ Pritchard
Thoughts On Dating: ‘I’ve probably been on less than ten dates, maybe five. I’ve never used a dating app. All of this meeting people on social media and apps is fake,’ he says
Ever Cheated? ‘I have cheated before. I will always be loyal from now on’
Exotic: Anna boasts a Middle-Eastern heritage
Name: Anna Vakili
Age: 28
Occupation: Pharmacist
Location: London
Claim To Fame: ‘I ended up on the Iranian News earlier this year when my sister and I were away in Qatar with two Iranian footballers who have a huge following. Suddenly my followers went up by 20,000 and I started being tagged in fan pages!’ she recalls
Marks Out Of 10? ‘I would rate myself an eight. My best feature is my eyes, I get compliments on my eyes a lot. I wish I had a penny for every time I’ve had a compliment on my eyes’
She blinded me with science: Yewande has been unlucky in love
Name: Yewande Biala
Age: 23
Occupation: Scientist
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Thoughts On Love: Yewande says: ‘I don’t think there is a science to finding love and if there is then I have clearly been reading the wrong books’
Celebrity Crush: Anthony Joshua
In It To Win It? ‘I am a terrible flirt but I’m such a girly girl and I can’t imagine stealing someone’s man in there. I don’t think I’d be that type but never say never,’ she says
Too fast, too fury-ous: Tommy’s a boxer… like his brother
Name: Tommy Fury
Age: 20
Occupation: Boxer
Location: Manchester
Looking For? ‘Blonde hair, blue eyes, good tan, gym girl… Ariana Grande. That girl is fire!’
Claim To Fame: ‘It’s probably my brother, Tyson, but I’m my own man and I’ve said it throughout my whole boxing career. I don’t want to be labelled as his little brother, I’m my own man and I’m doing the best that I can do in life and that’s all I’m setting out to achieve,’ Tommy says
Hot stuff: Fireman Michael wants to be ‘someone’s personal hero’
Name: Michael Griffiths
Age: 27
Occupation: Firefighter
Location: Liverpool
Marks Out Of Ten? ‘I get complimented on my smile a lot. People seem to be obsessed with my lips. I’d rate myself ten out of ten, I would have said nine but I’m a hero so it bumps it up,’ is Michael’s modest answer
Ever Cheated? ‘Once. It was a revenge cheat’
Up and away: Welsh Callum works in aviation
Name: Callum Macleod
Age: 28
Occupation: Aircraft Engineer
Location: South Wales
Disastrous Dating Story: ‘I went to the cinema with a girl and she sat on a piece of chocolate that melted onto her leather trousers,’ Callum recalls. ‘She shot off to the toilet to clean them and didn’t come back for ages. I watched the majority of the film on my own. I later found her fretting in the toilets because she couldn’t get her trousers back on’
Cocky? Amber rates herself 10/10
Name: Amber Gill
Age: 21
Occupation: Beauty Therapist
Location: Newcastle
Disastrous Dating Story: ‘I was speaking to this guy and he lived in Manchester and I got the train down to see him,’ Amber recounts. ‘I was nervous because he was really good looking and a bit older than me. I had five Cosmopolitans in a can and I drank them on the train. When the train got to Manchester I got up and I was drunk! He was waiting for me at the train station and when I got off I fell through the gap between the train and platform. What an icebreaker though!’
Got talent? Amy has a crush on David Walliams and Simon Cowell
Name: Amy Hart
Age: 26
Occupation: Cabin Crew
Location: Worthing, Sussex
Celebrity Crushes: Liam Hemsworth, Ashley Banjo, David Walliams and Simon Cowell. ‘You’d never go there obviously but there is something about them,’ Amy says
Claim To Fame: Amy once met Liam Payne and had a photo with him. When she posted it online she was bombarded with hate mail from One Directioners, who thought she was his new squeeze
Food of love: Sherif is a dab-hand in the kitchen
Name: Sherif Lanre
Age: 20
Occupation: Chef and Semi-pro Rugby Player
Location: London
Worst traits: ‘Number one would be that I’m pretty outrageous, that can also translate to the bad side,’ Sherif says. ‘On top of that, I laugh at everything which sometimes gets me into trouble. I can’t really take anything seriously. My actual laugh, my hysterical laugh is pretty ugly’
Fitness first: Anton wants a girl who likes working out
Name: Anton Danyluk
Age: 24
Occupation: Gym Owner
Location: Airdrie, Scotland
Worst Date: ‘I bought myself a Porsche when I was 21, as you do! I picked a girl up in that and she started taking pictures when she was in the car and sending it to her friends. It shouldn’t matter what I was driving whether that be a Corsa or a Porsche so I finished the date right there’
Clumsy: Jack says he’s a total klutz
Name: Joe Garratt
Age: 22
Occupation: Catering Company Owner
Location: London
Marks Out Of 10? ‘Today, I reckon about an 8.5! In the mornings I’m probably like a low 8. I consistently stay around the 8s to 9s in my opinion. Maybe some days I go past the 9, when it’s a really good day…. a suit day. My best feature is my chat. I’m cheeky and a bit of a charmer. Looks wise, I’d say my best features are my teeth or curly hair’
Name: Lucie Donlan
Age: 21
Occupation: Surfer
Location: Newquay
Famous exes? ‘The last guy I was with was Charlie [Frederick] from last year’s Love Island. We got together a few weeks after he came out of the villa. I’ve spoken to Joey Essex on and off because I love his personality, it’s so funny. Lookswise I like Jay Alvarrez. He surfs, skydives and he’s got amazing hair. I would marry him!’