Love Island 2021: Has Hugo Hammond always secretly fancied Chloe Burrows? Signs pointing towards romance

After weeks of lukewarm drama and unconvincing romances, Love Island 2021 finally kicked up a gear when Hugo Hammond took aim at Toby Aromolaran over his treatment of Chloe Burrows.

Having ditched Chloe for newcomer Abigail Rawlings, Toby was shocked when Hugo said during last night’s recoupling ceremony that Chloe ‘doesn’t deserve to be treated how she has been in these last 24 hours’, adding that he believes the ‘tests’ that several of the singletons frequently refer in their relationships to are ‘complete bulls**t’.

Hugo continued, telling Chloe: ‘You deserve someone who’s honest and communicates with you and who knows what could happen in respect of things to come.’

So was Hugo defending Chloe as a friend, or could he actually have been harbouring romantic feelings for her in secret? With some exclusive expert guidance for Metro.co.uk, let’s take a look at the signs.

The calm before the storm

During last night’s episode Hugo and Chloe hung out on the sunbeds in the day, watching as Toby and Abigail enjoyed a flirty gym session together.

Chloe said that while she ‘really likes’ Toby, she doesn’t like the way he’s ‘behaved’ and wants to avoid looking ‘like a f**king idiot’.

Hugo gives Chloe a soothing hug as they discuss her fallout with Toby (Picture: ITV)

Describing Chloe as a ‘10 out of 10’, Hugo then admitted to Chloe that in his opinion, she shouldn’t put up with Toby’s behaviour towards her, after Toby shared several flirtatious one-on-ones with Abigail.

When Chloe told Hugo that she’d made up her mind to end her relationship with Toby for good, Hugo brought her in for a cuddle, kissing her on the head and caressing her soothingly.

After admitting that he doesn’t feel a ‘spark’ with new islander Georgia Townend, Hugo then told Chloe: ‘I’m going to have to stick it on you,’ to which she replied: ‘I’ll stick it right back.’

Chloe and Hugo shared a kiss early on in the series (Picture: ITV/Shutterstock)

Hugo referred to their first kiss during the Horny Devils challenge several weeks prior, stating: ‘Been there, done that. Got the snog, got the badge.’

So considering this playful exchange just a few hours before the recoupling ceremony to end all recoupling ceremonies, is this a clearclut clue of Hugo’s true intentions?

More friendship island

According to body language expert Judi James, Hugo may not have a ‘genuine’ interest in Chloe from a romantic standpoint.

However, his bold demonstration in front of all of the other islanders may result in him showing off his ‘sex-god side’.

Chloe was left beaming over Hugo’s bold recoupling speech (Credits: ITV/Rex/Shutterstock)

‘Did any of us see this one coming? How the guy in the villa who couldn’t even get snogged and who has spent all his waking hours trying to ingratiate himself with the guy’s club in there, dishing out advice to other guys like Toby about going for it and being honest should suddenly tear up like a cobra to strike out about the whole guy culture in there and Toby’s behaviour in particular, knowing that he was alienating himself from everyone apart from a grateful Chloe?’ Judi told Metro.co.uk.

In Judi’s opinion, while there were clues that Hugo might take a stand for Chloe, they were only ‘visible with a Hubble telescope’.

Toby, on the other hand, was seething over what Hugo had to say (Picture: ITV)

‘For me the biggest clue was Hugo’s complete change of body language and facial expression,’ she said.

‘When he reassured Chloe she’d be safe I knew he would be picking her if Toby didn’t but the rest of the drama was revealed in the way his mouth suddenly formed a clamp of determination and he dropped his chin to perform a steely stare.’

Considering this was a ‘new’ side to Hugo viewers haven’t really seen before, Judi believes that over the next few days, viewers ‘need to discover whether it was his own alter-ego or a stance that Chloe nudged him into’.

Toby is visibly furious when he confronts Hugo over his cutting remarks (Picture: ITV)

‘I’m guessing some tears might have prompted this heroic stance although he might have been grateful for the chance to step up and maybe win votes from viewers,’ the body language expert said.

Looking back on the rest of the series, as Hugo has rejected advances from girls on several occasions, Judi said she’s ‘pushed to spot any signs of genuine attraction for Chloe’.

‘But a friends relationship might be what he sees as enough to get them both over the finishing line,’ she said, adding: ‘If the rush of macho blood has gone to his head though who knows, we might get to see his sex-god side too.’

Start at the very beginning

While it may be true that Hugo and Chloe are just a friendship couple, viewers could argue that there were signs from the beginning of the series that he felt something more.

During the Horny Devils challenge early on in the series, Hugo locked lips with Chloe, taking her by surprise.

In a later episode, Hugo became embroiled in a row when he offended some of the girls in a challenge, having said that he’s not attracted to people who are ‘fake’, whether in their ‘personality’ or their ‘looks’.

More: Love Island

He also added that he was attracted to ‘leggy blondes’, all the while standing next to Chloe, who fit his description.

Could it be that Hugo has been playing the long game and has really had his sights set on Chloe from the get-go? Opinion may be divided, but we can’t wait for the truth to be spilled.

Love Island returns tonight at 9pm on ITV2 and is available to watch on ITV Hub.

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