With Love Island now well and truly past the halfway point of the series, it’s safe to say that the 2023 edition of the ITV2 dating show has been one of the most dramatic we’ve seen for quite some time.
From bitter love rivals duking it out to win the heart of a bombshell, through to the shocking comeback of one dumped Islander, it’s no surprise that tensions have been running high in the villa.
But while many fans could be forgiven for thinking that these tensions were just the result of big personality clashes, it turns out that the beef between our favourite islanders may run a little deeper than that, as several of this year’s contestants have actually crossed paths long before they made their villa debuts this Summer.
So who exactly did know each other prior to appearing on the show?
Tyrique and Ella
Just months before entering the villa, Tyrique and Ella had crossed paths while out in London
During the very first episode of Love Island 2023, Tyrique Hyde and Ella Thomas’ prior connection was first revealed to fans when they were coupled up together by the public. Meeting up on camera for the first time, Ella soon shocked viewers at home as she admitted she and Tyrique had actually crossed paths before – something which he claimed he didn’t recall at all.
Ella told the girls: “I have met him before. Physically I am like yeah, he is good looking and my type. But I have already met him.”
She then explained the circumstances around their meeting, when the girls quizzed her about how exactly the pair had met. She told them: “Out in London. I’m not being funny but he is literally pretending he doesn’t remember, but there’s no way he doesn’t remember.”
Tyrique however insisted “I swear to god I don’t remember”, but he did admit her face looked “familiar”.
During the same conversation, Ella revealed she had been blonde when she met Tyrique, a bold style choice she had only briefly enjoyed for two weeks in February this year.
Using this as an indicator for the time window in which she may have met Tyrique, both stars shared images from the same restaurant, Roka, in Mayfair, on February 25th, leading many fans to presume this was the exact day that the pair first met.
Molly and Leah
Molly and Leah first crossed paths as influencers several years before their time on the show
Another pair of Love Islanders who were well acquainted before the series, are Molly Marsh and Leah Taylor, as they had both been moving in the same social circles as influencers on social media.
Both managed by the same agency, Molly and Leah have been spotted together at various events over the last few years, and regularly commented on social media posts about each other.
One memorable comment in particular came in December last year, when Leah shared a series of holiday snaps from a pre-festive getaway, prompting Molly to comment: “I miss you.”
Their friendship was further confirmed when a source told The Sun: “Part of being an influencer means meeting lots of people at events but Molly and Leah became actual friends. Molly will be shocked to see Leah come in but it’ll be great for her to have some support.”
Leah and Kady
Leah was also well connected to former star Kady McDermott for similar reasons
Just like her connection to Molly, Leah has also rubbed shoulders with Kady McDermott in the past thanks to her work as an influencer, which many fans are convinced is the reason Kady raced to her side when she was heartbroken at having been dumped by Zachariah Noble.
Prior to entering the villa for a second time, Kady admitted she already knew Leah, as she told the show: she “knows of Leah through friends” before going on to describe the bombshell as “sweet”.
Ella and Ouzy
Thanks to their modelling careers Ella and Ouzy had also crossed paths before their time on the show
Another well connected star taking part in this year’s series is Ella Thomas, who appears to have rubbed shoulders with a number of famous islanders, thanks to her work as a model.
In fact, Ella and her current flame Ouzy See actually met while working on a modelling job together, as they are both signed to the same model management, Colours Agency.
While on the show, Ella admitted that she and Suzy had met when they “did that job” together, with the job in question later revealed to be a promo video for a swanky hotel in Edinburgh.
The slick video was only made public in May this year, meaning the duo literally only met in the months prior to entering the villa, and just weeks after Ella had bumped into Tyrique in London at the start of the year.
Love Island continues Sunday to Friday at 9pm on ITV2 and ITVX
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