Love Island 2021: How Lucinda Strafford made sure Brad McClelland got dumped from the villa – the signs you missed

Love Island saw Brad McClelland didn’t stand a chance as soon as it was confirmed that either he or Lucinda Strafford would be leaving the villa last night.

In another agonising twist, Love Island threw a real spanner in the works when the public voted for their favourite couple, with Brad and Lucinda voted the least popular match with viewers.

But in pure savagery from bosses, they would have to decide which one of them would leave solo.

While you’d think there would at least be some sort of conversation, Lucinda didn’t even pretend to resist when Brad offered to go home. But actually, his fate was already sealed.

Metro.co.uk’s body language expert Judi James explained in the latest episode of love or Lie Island that as soon as the couple were given the blow that they were the most unpopular islanders – even over Chloe Burrows and Aromolaran – Lucinda made sure Brad was packing his bags.

‘I felt sorry for Brad. You could see when they were standing together she already started to disconnect a bit, she’d got two barrier gestures – she’d got her legs crossed and hands crossed,’ Judi told us.

Brad’s fate was sealed long before he threw in the towel (Picture: ITV)

‘I think it was after they find out they were going to have to decide between then there was quite a gap between them, she’d obviously started to separate and she started to look at the rest of the people in there rather than him so I think he probably go the hint then.

‘By the time they got on the seat you could see she wasn’t going to say anything, was she?’ 

When they sat down, Brad did the gentlemanly thing and sacrificed his place in the villa.

Then he said, “I’ll go” expecting her to say, which she should have done, “no last in first out, you’ve been here all the time I’ll leave.” But she was taking no risks was she? 

‘She said on the way to the seat, I feel sick and I’m shaking, which makes her sound unwell and vulnerable – how can you kick a kitten when they tell you something like that?

Lucinda’s already moved on with Aaron (Picture: ITV/REX)

‘She wouldn’t look at him and then she was waiting and when he said the right thing that’s when she started to hide her face, no eye contact. This is the point when you say, “no I’ll go.” Nothing whatsoever.’

But Lucinda then had another battle on her hands: convincing the other islanders that the right decision was made.

‘When he started to go that’s when she started crying because she needs sympathy from everybody,’ said Judi. ‘How do you do that when you didn’t even volunteer to go? But she needs everybody on her side.’

But in a first look at tonight’s episode, Lucinda appears to have already moved on.

Pulling Aaron Francis for a chat to get his verdict on new bombshell AJ Parker, the conversation quickly turns flirty less than 24 hours since Brad’s exit.

Love Island continues tonight at 9pm on ITV2. You can watch the full episode of Love or Lie Island here.

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