Love Island stars with surprising celebrity connections – from Lana Jenkins to Gemma Owen-Jess Bacon and Rebecca Sayce-Entertainment – Metro

Visitors to Love Island usually have celebrity connections, it would seem! (Picture: Rex/PA/ITV)

Love Island 2023 is very nearly here – with the second-ever winter edition of the series set to turn the heat up this January.

The line-up has been revealed, and they include a James Bond actress and a TikTok-famous farmer.

But one contestant, Lana Jenkins, has a connection to another recent ITV show – she dated I’m a Celebrity runner-up Owen Warner.

Lana isn’t the only Love Islander to have celeb connections and relationships.

Here, we look back at the exes, children and other celebrity connections from past islanders…

Which Love Island 2023 stars have celebrity connections?

Olivia Hawkins

Olivia Hawkins was Michelle Keegan’s body double (Picture: ITV)

This year, one of Michelle Keegan’s good friends (and body doubles) is going in.

Olivia Hawkins got a special shout-out ahead of Love Island’s launch from Michelle on social media.

Michelle wrote on Instagram: ‘So our girl is going into Love Island. Genuinely one of the nicest girls you’ll ever meet.’

She added: ‘Go and smash it darlin’,’ alongside Lana’s official Love Island contestant photo.

Lana Jenkins

Lana dated Hollyoaks actor Owen Warner (Picture: Vincent Dolman/Shutterstock)

Lana Jenkins, 25, dated Hollyoaks’ Owen Warner, 23.

According to reports, Lana found love with Owen after being introduced by mutual friends when she worked on CBBC’s So Awkward.

They were said to have gone their separate ways after a couple of months.

Owen saw his own fame skyrocket recently, after finishing second in the 2022 series of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here – but Lana didn’t watch her ex.

Which previous Love Island contestants had celebrity connections?

Reece Ford

Bombshell Reece Ford has a French connection (Picture: ITV)

Reece Ford, 23, entered the show as a bombshell in 2022.

A model from Coventry, he made a career for himself in sports modelling, working with a number of big name brands including Under Armour and Levi’s for JD Sports.

But that’s not where his connection to the sporting world ends, as he also has a link with Paris Saint-Germain football club superstar Kylian Mbappe.

He is in fact Mbappe’s official body double, standing in for the French forward in some modelling campaigns.

Reece himself also used to be a professional footballer – granted not quite to the standard of Ligue 1.

Until May, he played as a Centre-Back for Southern League Premier Division Central side Redditch United, according to Transfer Markt.

Gemma Owen

Michael joked it was every dad’s worst nightmare to have his daughter on the show (Picture: Michael Owen Instagram)

Gemma Owen’s dad is former England footballer Michael Owen.

The 19-year-old shares her father’s competitive edge as she is an international dressage rider, as well as a bikini brand owner.

Her father played professional football for Liverpool, Real Madrid, Newcastle and Manchester United, before he retired with an injury in 2013. He is worth an estimated £54 million.

Michael, 42, admitted that his daughter joining the famous dating programme was ‘probably a father’s worst nightmare’.

Yet, Michael and his wife, Louise, are still rooting for Gemma on the ITV2 hit.

He told the Mirror: ‘I have no doubts that she will make us all proud. It’s probably a father’s worst nightmare, but whatever she wants to do you’ve got to be supportive.

‘I think old, grumpy men like me will always have an opinion on it because I don’t watch it and you just hear the snippets. But she assures me it’s not as bad as I think.’

Ahead of appearing on the show, Gemma revealed she is ‘very close’ to her family and ‘wouldn’t do anything’ to ‘disrespect or embarrass them.’

Luca Bish

2022 Islander Luca knows Patsy Palmer (Picture: ITV)

While series eight contestant Luca Bish, 23, isn’t related to any celebrities, he does have ties to EastEnders icon and Dancing on Ice 2023 contestant Patsy Palmer.

The actress, 50, played Bianca on the soap in the 1990s. Today, she lives in Malibu and owns a haircare brand – but she still took time to shout out Luca on Instagram before he jetted off for a stint on the UK reality series.

Luca soon revealed that Patsy was actually a close family friend, having known his parents for many years.

Luca had another celebrity connection – he was friends with Nick Cave’s children.

Nick Cave wrote touchingly about supporting Luca because of how his parents supported he and his wife after the loss of their son, Arthur.

In his Red Hand Files newsletter, he wrote: ‘These people, Luca’s parents, are as good as people get, and they love their son, Luca. So, Susie watches Love Island and cheers him on, and hopes that he will win. I also hope that Luca wins, and wins soon, because then I can get the f*cking TV back.’

Liam Llewellyn

Liam has a sports star dad, just like fellow series eight Islander Gemma Owen (Picture: ITV)

Much like Gemma Owen, series eight star Liam Llewellyn also has a sporting star in the family.

His dad is David Llewellyn, a former member of the Welsh rugby team. He appeared in a number of 1999 World Cup games – as well as games for teams Ebbw Vale, Newport and Neath.

Antigoni Buxton

Love Island bombshell Antigoni Buxton’s famous mum revealed as celebrity chef and GB News regular (Picture: ITV/Instagram)

Like Gemma, series eight bombshell Antigoni Buxton has a famous parent.

Singer-songwriter Antigoni, 26, is the daughter of Tonia Buxton, a celebrity chef and regular on shows like GB News, This Morning, and Sunday Brunch.

Posting a string of snaps of Antigoni, including her Love Island promo photo and some sweet mum-and-daughter pictures, Tonia wrote: ‘I can not believe that my @antigoni is in the Love Island Villa, she mentioned she would be sunbathing this week I didn’t think she meant in Mallorca!

‘We are all so excited for you and know you will be amazing! You have always been an island girl, so I know you will fit right in! 🏝🌊

‘Hoping you all love and support my girl, I know she will make us proud! ❤️

‘Tune in to my stories every night where I will be commentating the show, or trying to! 🫣😳 #loveisland.’

Tonia’s not Antigoni’s only famous connection though, as she reportedly previously dated Love Island favourite Jack Fowler.

However, their romance wasn’t to last, with the pair going their separate ways after eight months.

Jack Keating

Jack Keating also has a famous parent, Boyzone’s Ronan Keating (Picture: Instagram)

Casa Amor bombshell Jack Keating has one thing in common with fellow contestant Gemma Owen – he too has a famous parent.

The Dublin lad’s dad is none other than Boyzone heartthrob Ronan Keating, and the singer has thrown his support behind his son as he entered the villa.

Before making his way into Casa Amor, the Life Is A Rollercoaster hitmaker, 45, took to Instagram to repost Jack’s own Love Island announcement, writing: ‘Let’s go.’

Speaking to co-hosts Alex Jones and Jermaine Jenas on The One Show, Alex asked how he felt watching his son getting his graft on.

‘I’m a mess, I’m an absolute mess,’ Ronan said.

‘I mean Storm [stepmum] is doing better than I am. We all miss him in the house, we really do, little brother Cooper and his little sister Coco and Missy, we all miss him.’

Mike Boateng

Mike appeared on the show in 2020 (Picture: David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images)

Samuel appeared on The Apprentice

Former police officer Mike Boateng appeared on series six of Love Island in 2020, finding love with Priscilla Anyabu before the pair split.

But the 26-year-old has a fellow reality TV star in his family, as his brother, Samuel, appeared on BBC’s The Apprentice.

As the business whizz in the family, Samuel manages Mike’s impressive social media account as a social media influencer.

Dani Dyer

EastEnders star Danny and Dani have a close relationship (Picture: Dan Wooller/REX/Shutterstock)

One of the most famous former contestants with connections is Dani Dyer, daughter of EastEnders legend Danny Dyer.

The 25-year-old followed in her father’s footsteps and first appeared on TV in Survival of the Fittest in 2018, before she went on to win Love Island with her former flame Jack Fincham in the same year.

Dani has teamed up with her famous dad on several occasions, including a cameo in EastEnders as a cab driver, as well teaming up for their podcast Sorted with the Dyers.

In one episode, Dani revealed that she didn’t speak with her father for weeks and she thought he ‘hated’ her after she agreed to go on Love Island.

Jack and Dani won Love Island in 2018 (Picture: James Gourley/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

The former dental nurse said: ‘You hated me’ before Danny replied: ‘I didn’t hate you, I never hated you ever.’

‘He didn’t like me. We didn’t really talk. It was very awkward. Oh my god, I’d walk into the room and it would be so awkward,’ she continued.

‘No, we didn’t talk,’ Danny added, ‘I think I was upset because we were very close and you’d spoke about it to everyone, I was the last f***er.’

Tommy Fury

Tommy found fame on Love Island (Picture: ITV/REX)

Tommy Fury and his co-star Molly-Mae Hague captured viewers’ hearts on the 2019 series of Love Island. The couple went on to place as runners up and still live together in Manchester.

Tommy is the brother of the heavyweight champion, Tyson Fury and, while Molly-Mae is Creative Director of Pretty Little Thing and a social media star, has followed in his older brother’s path as a professional boxer.

Despite his impressive connection, Tommy is keen to distinguish himself in the industry, rather than be in his brother’s shadow.

‘I’m my own man and I’ve said it throughout my whole boxing career,’ Tommy said in an interview.

‘I don’t want to be labelled as his little brother, I’m my own man and I’m doing the best that I can do in life and that’s all I’m setting out to achieve.’

Paige Turley

Paige won her series alongside boyfriend Finley (Picture: ITV/REX)

Paige Turley famously dated award-winning singer Lewis Capaldi before she went on the show to find love.

The 24-year-old was in a relationship with the Before You Go singer from 2014-2016 when the duo were teenagers at college and during her time on the show, she would mention her former flame, while it was rumoured that some of his hit songs, such as Someone Like You, were about her.

However, Lewis cleared the air about the rumours and admitted that Hold Me While You Wait was actually about the Islander after she brutally dumped him.

He recalled that things were as ‘smooth as a ski slope’ before: ‘She said to me, “Lewis … slight issue with me and you as a couple. I find you revolting in every way possible, and you are really a disgusting human being. And I would like to leave you, effective immediately”.’

Some of Lewis’s songs were about the reality star (Picture: David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for evian)

But the couple still remain on good terms, and Lewis admitted that he would have appreciated a heads up about her appearance on the show.

‘She never told me she was going on it,’ Lewis told The Edge in New Zealand. ‘It would have been a nice heads up. But I mean, fair play, good luck to her.’

The former Britain’s Got Talent star went on to win the 2020 winter series with her beau Finley Tap.

Curtis Pritchard

Curtis, right, has a famous brother in AJ (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

In 2019, Curtis Pritchard followed his famous brother AJ into TV as he joined the Love Island line up.

AJ Pritchard has been a professional dancer on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing since 2019 and participated in ITV’s I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! in 2020.

Prior to his time on the island of love, Curtis had already starred in Ireland’s Dancing with the stars, but was propelled into the spotlight from the ITV2 show.

After the show, the reality star began dating his co-star Maura Higgins,before their split in early 2020. Since then, Curtis has teamed up with his brother to choreograph the hit BBC Three series RuPaul’s Drag Race and co-host the podcast, AJ v Curtis.

Sophie Piper

Sophie, left, has a famous sister in Rochelle Humes (Picture: https://www.instagram.com/sophpiper_/)

While Sophie Piper kept quiet about her famous connection in the villa, she is the half-sister of The Saturdays singer Rochelle Humes.

The 21-year-old has a striking resemblance to the This Morning star, but nobody pointed this out on the show.

Formerly a medical PA, Sophie was dumped in week four on the show and now works as an influencer.

The TV star admitted there was a ‘period’ where she wasn’t in contact with Rochelle, but now the duo are close.

She told the MailOnline: ‘It was weird growing up not knowing Rochelle but since we have spoken, we speak every day so it is nice all of us being in each other’s lives now.’

When Sophie announced she’d be joining the line-up, Rochelle commented in support: ‘Good luck baby sis. Bring us back a keeper.’

Belle Hassan

Bella dated Anton on Love Island (Picture: Matt Frost/ITV/REX)

Her dad is actor Tamer Hassan (Picture: Leon Bennett/FilmMagic)

Belle Hassan is the daughter of well-known actor Tamer Hassan who appeared in Game of Thrones and The Football Factory.

The 21-year-old who appeared on the fifth series of Love Island admitted: ‘He is my link to the famous world. He is a very supportive dad, he is like my best friend and is always there for me.’

Belle got together with Anton Danyluk on the show, but the couple soon parted ways.

Samira Mighty

Samira appeared on the show in 2018 (Picture: ITV)

Samira Mighty was linked to none other than Hollywood star Chris Pine before she searched for love on the show.

The former West End star met the actor at a GQ party, and revealed to Digital Spy: ‘I knew him from the Disney Channel. I thought, “My God, he was in that movie with Lindsay Lohan,” and he kind of moved to me and I thought, “He seems fun, he seems cool”.’

She was also linked to Chris Pine (Picture: Phillip Faraone/Getty Images)

The couple only went on one fancy date in Soho, before they cut ties with each other.

Luke Trotman

Luke appeared on the 2020 season (Picture: ITV/REX)

Luke Trotman appeared on the sixth series of Love Island in 2020 and is the son of another reality star. His mother, Beverly finished sixth on season four of the X-Factor after stunning the judges with her beautiful voice.

The semi-professional footballer said he has always supported his mum’s career and added: ‘She’s done a few musicals and she’s in the Kingdom Choir now… but she didn’t perform at Harry and Meghan’s wedding!’

Winter Love Island 2023 starts tonight at 9pm on ITV2.

MORE : Love Island 2023 star Olivia Hawkins who appeared in Bond film promises she won’t name-drop in the villa

MORE : Thought Love Island UK was scandalous? We’ve got nothing on these international dramas

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