Love Island season is officially underway, with Maya Jama’s summer of love hitting screens on ITV.
After giving us the likes of TV royalty Molly-Mae Hague, Maura Higgins, Amber Gill, Chris Hughes and of course Curtis Pritchard, the contestants taking part have the chance to not only find love, but also become household names.
However, some do already have links to fame that came about before their own stints in the spotlight.
Here’s what we know…
Sophie
Though she became the first Love Island star dumped from the villa, Sophie certainly didn’t need the ITV dating series for her success.
The inspirational influencer is already a content creator and has written her own book after a tragedy left her with life-changing injuries.
Sophie was left fighting for her life at the age of 22 after she was involved in a fire-breathing accident when an air conditioning unit blew flames back into her face. The Manchester-based dancer has since been sharing her recovery journey, including graphic images of her in hospital after suffering the burns, on social media.
Sophie, who has previously appeared on various podcasts and ITV’s Lorraine, suffered the accident in 2018 and later underwent surgery for a keloid tumour on her face.
She is now a motivational speaker, works with Katie Piper’s foundation and released a book in February last year, titled In My Skin.
She shared at the time: “It’s been a difficult process being so open with the trauma I’ve faced and adversity I’ve had to overcome and to now be at a place of peace has not been easy.
“I hope that from sharing my experience of racial discrimination, feeling outcast throughout my life, battling depression and eventually reaching the process of surgery, it becomes a read that others find helpful in their own journeys.”
Dejon
Londoner Dejon is part of Love Island’s growing list of nepo-babies, joining the likes of Dani Dyer, Gemma Owen and Jack Keating.
The 26-year-old is the son of former pro footballer and manager Gifton Noel-Williams, who played for Watford, Stoke City and Burnley.
Dejon and his younger brother Isaiah have both followed in their dad’s footsteps, playing professional football, as the Love Island star plays for Bedford Town and Grenada while his sibling plays for Kettering Town FC.
When asked about links to fame before entering the villa, Dejon said: "My dad being an ex-professional footballer. I’ve met all kinds of famous people through him.
"When I was younger it was weird because he was just my dad, but we’d go to a game and fans were asking for photos. I’ve met David Beckham, he was really nice."
When asked about being a nepo-baby, he quipped: "I'm sorry, what's a nepo baby? This is the first time I've ever heard of nepo baby, and this is no joke. I've never heard it before. The first time I've been called a nepo baby. I don't know how to react!"
Helena
29-year-old cabin crew member Helena has visited places all across the globe, with her Instagram page showcasing her glamorous trips.
Along the way, she appears to have crossed paths with various celebrities, and claimed she had a connection with none other than Justin Bieber.
“I don't know him. Basically, when I was really, really young, I used to be, like a Belieber. I was just like a little fan girl for Justin Bieber.
“So yeah, he did follow me back, but that was on my old Twitter account. It wasn't on my actual one. So, yeah, but when, obviously, when I was about 13, I was absolutely gassed.”
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Closer to home, the reality star also has connections to fellow Love Island alum, Zara McDermott. She shared: “I do know Zara McDermott. One of my friends is her best friend, but I didn't actually manage to speak to her before I went in, because she's really busy with filming her documentary at the moment.”
According to Radio Times, Helena’s famous friends also include the likes of Gary Lineker’s son Angus and Piers Morgan’s son Spencer.
Harry
Following from the football theme, Harry is not only a semi-pro footballer, model, and a gold trader, but he’s also a body double for England player Declan Rice.
The 30-year-old revealed: “When he does a shoot, any body close ups will actually be me. You’ll never see my face, but you’ll see my shoulder or chest, that kind of thing.”
Meanwhile, some of the stars have a few smaller claims to fame, with landscape gardener Tommy sharing his link that his professional boxer brother used to train with Anthony Joshua, while Shakira dropped she’d dressed up as a princess while working as a children’s party entertainer for “quite a few footballers’ kids”.
Megan also said she once went viral, explaining: "Me and my friends made a Derry Girls TikTok for Halloween and it went a bit viral around Brighton. Sometimes I get stopped in the street about it. I’ve also done Panto."
