Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Entertainment
Jessica Sansome

ITV Love Island make major change as viewers can pick first bombshell

Love Island has unveiled a twist with just days to go until the brand new series. A winter edition of the hit ITV2 dating show will begin on Monday (January 16) and fans are being allowed to have their own say before the series even begins.

For the first time ever, Love Island is giving the public the chance to choose the first male or female bombshell to enter the villa. It comes days after the initial 10 islanders heading to South Africa were revealed.

The new winter series, only the second ever after the first aired before the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, will see the first partially sighted resident of the villa as the cast head to South Africa to a new location.

READ MORE: Holly Willoughby dubbed 'mermaid perfection' as she sends message to Phillip Schofield ahead of Dancing On Ice

Ron Hall, 25, a financial adviser from Essex, who lost his sight in one eye while playing football aged eight, joins the cast alongside an actress who was in James Bond, a farmer and a make-up artist to the stars.

But back to the new twist and voting for the first bombshell opened at 8am on Thursday (January 12) and is free via the Love Island App. The bombshell with the highest number of votes will be chosen to enter the villa, votes close at 9pm on Friday 13th January.

So who do Love Island fans have to choose from? First up is Ellie Spence. The 25-year-old, a business development executive at a law firm, has said she has been single for three years and says her reason for joining the show is that "the roster is pretty dry." She added: "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."

Ellie, from Norwich, said she will bring "drama, fun and a bit of unpredictability" to the villa and says she's single "because I fall in love really quick, but I fall out of it just as quickly."

Also looking to make a late entrance into the villa is Tom Clare. The 23-year-old is a semi-professional footballer from Barnsley and says he's a "good laugh" and "a good vibe." He added: "I’m not snakey, I don’t like that kind of stuff. If I’ve got an issue with someone I’ll speak to them."

Sharing why he is single, Tom said: "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."

And asked why Love Island, and why now, the sportsman said: "I want to meet someone. It’s good going out and having a laugh but I miss sharing stuff. Life’s too short. These opportunities don’t come around often." As for his claim to fame, Tom said: "Robbie Savage is the director of my football team. I just have such a good relationship with him. I see him as a mate."

Love Island starts on Monday, January 16, at 9pm on ITV2 and ITVX.

READ NEXT:

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.