Love Island 2021 cast: Sharon revealed as first islander heading into villa as line-up announced

Love Island have revealed the first cast member to be taking part in the upcoming 2021 series.

Sharon Gaffka will be heading into the Majorcan villa when the ITV2 dating show launches next week.

The 25-year-old islander hails from Oxford and has conquered beauty pageants, worked on government policies and is now ready to find love.

‘It’s been a bit of a running joke between my friendship group for a while that I should apply, probably because I’m the most outrageous one out of the group,’ Sharon revealed.

‘But also because of Covid and the lockdown, I’m the only single one in my friendship group. They’re either married or planning on getting married. I don’t want to be the only one in the group chat that is single anymore.’

Explaining what she looks for in a fella, Sharon shared: ‘I tend to date someone who is taller than me, even though my last long-term partner, he was actually someone who was shorter than me.

‘I’m quite an intellectual person so I want someone who can kind of match that.’

Will Sharon meet her match in the villa?

Aaron Francis, a 24-year-old luxury events host from London, is the second islander to be revealed.

The singleton is looking for someone who is passionate about what they do.

‘You can tell when someone is speaking about something and they are actually smiling while they are talking,’ he said. ‘I love that. I don’t like when people are doing a job just to make money and then they kind of just live for the weekend.

‘Especially because I work on the weekends.’

Bosses are announcing the Love Island cast throughout the day and have confirmed this year’s batch of singletons are all single and ready to find love.

They have urged fans of the show to be careful with what they say online about this year’s contestants amid the new duty of care protocols for the series.

‘We can’t wait to watch them get to know each other, date and maybe even find the one,’ they wrote in a post shared on social media.

‘We’re so grateful they’re letting us follow their journey this summer. We hope you enjoy the show, but please think before you post.’

Love Island is returning for its seventh series next Monday after one year off screen due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with the previous instalment broadcast in early 2020.

Laura Whitmore is returning to host the series after joining the show for its previous winter series, while her husband Iain Stirling will narrate.

Love Island launches Monday 28 June at 9pm on ITV2.

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