Reality TV is a place where young people can transform their lives into one filled with parties, lucrative brand deals and hundreds of thousands of Instagram followers. But just like the rest of the entertainment industry, sometimes who you know can have more than a helping hand getting you in front of producers.
Love Island has long been known for securing the offspring of famous names – perhaps most famous being Danny Dyer’s daughter Dani, who won the series with ex-partner Jack Fincham in 2018.
This series is no different, as islander Dejon is the son of former professional footballer Gifton Noel-Williams, who has played for Watford, Stoke City and Burnley.
Dejon, 26, is a personal trainer and, like his dad, he’s also played football (even for the Grenada national football team). Through his famous dad, he’s met David Beckham, who he described as “really nice”. He’ll probably be used to having the cameras on him, as he said it was “weird” going to games as a child, as “fans were asking for photos” with his dad.
But he told Hello! he had never heard the term nepo baby, saying: “This is the first time I've been called a nepo baby. I don't know how to react!”
Here, we take a look back at some of Love Island’s other notable nepo babies…
Gemma Owen
Another child of a footballer, Michael Owen’s 22-year-old daughter Gemma appeared on the series in 2022. She loves horses and since her time on Love Island has taken a step back from a reality TV career to focus on being a professional dressage rider.
During her stint in the villa, Gemma was coupled with Luca Bish – but the pair split months later. She’s now with fellow horse rider, and son of businessman Steve Morgan, Red Morgan.
Jack Keating
In 2022, the son of Ronan Keating, Jack, entered the villa during Casa Amor. Sadly, he didn’t fare too well – and failed to steal one of the girls, meaning he was sent home.
It did make for one of the funniest Love Island moments of all time, when Ekin-Su made reference to Jack’s famous dad, reminding him ‘life is a rollercoaster’ when he was booted from the villa.
Jack is also now a dad, his ex-partner Keely Iqbal discovered she was expecting while he was on the show.
Dani Dyer
Dani Dyer is now one of the UK’s most recognisable reality stars, even hosting a podcast – Sorted With The Dyers – with her dad Danny.
But she made her name on Love Island, winning the show with Jack Fincham. However, they weren’t to be, and they split nine months later. Since, she has found love with West Ham footballer Jarrod Bowen, and they share twin daughters Summer and Star. Dani also has another daughter, Santiago, from her previous relationship with ex Sammy Kimmence.
Antigoni Buxton
Remember Antigoni from series eight? If you don’t, you might recognise her mum, celebrity chef Tonia Buxton, who sometimes appears on Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch. Antigone didn’t find love in the villa, but she has continued to release music and has nearly 600,000 followers on Instagram.
Liam Llewellyn
And do you remember Liam? You might not, as he wasn’t on the show for very long before deciding to quit – as he later told the MailOnline he wasn’t comfortable with how the show was edited.
Again, Liam had another famous sports star as a parent - his dad is international rugby player David Llewellyn who played in the 1999 World Cup for Wales.
Tommy Fury
One of the most successful Love Island nepo-babies is none other than Molly-Mae Hague’s partner, Tommy Fury. But his most famous relative isn’t his dad, ex-boxer John Fury, but rather his half-brother, boxing champion Tyson Fury.
Turns out the show does produce some long-lasting love, as Molly-Mae and Tommy have recently just confirmed they’re back together on Molly’s documentary series, Behind It All. They share daughter Bambi, who they welcomed in January 2023.
Belle Hassan
Also on the same series as Molly-Mae and Tommy was Belle Hassan – who was another nepo baby, the daughter of actor Tamer Hassan.
Belle’s stint in the villa wasn’t the most fruitful, as her and Anton Danyluk broke up just weeks after leaving the villa (with sources telling The Sun at the time she was annoyed he went to met Craig David without her).
Claudia Fogarty
Former motorcycle racer Carl Fogarty’s daughter Claudia appeared on winter Love Island back in 2023. Claudia had a brief dalliance with Casey O’Gorman while she was on the show, but she’s now happily married – and expecting a baby – with Ollie Crankshaw.
