Love Island cast 2023: Full line up of contestants for winter series in South Africa - start date

Love Island has confirmed the first batch of islanders to appear on this year’s winter instalment. The good looking singletons will jet off to the South African villa to star in reality TV’s hottest vacation.

Just months after Davide and Ekin-Su took the crown as winners of the 2022 series - ITV are back to spice up your evenings. This will be the first winter series of the show since Paige Turley and Finn Tapp emerged victorious in 2020.

There is another new addition to the show in Maya Jama, who will be taking on hosting duties from Laura Whitmore. To ensure the safety of the contestants this year, ITV bosses have announced they will be disabling social media accounts during the show.

Here’s every contestant that has been confirmed for Love Island 2023, who they are and where they’re from.

Winter Love Island 2023 lineup

Tanya Manhenga

Tanya is a 22-year-old biomedical science student and influencer from Liverpool. She hates guys who don’t wear socks in the house and guys who have huge feet.

Tanya has the skin pigmentation condition Vitiligo and is proud to show it off on the show.

Kai Fagan 

Kai Faigan is a 24-year-old Science and PE teacher from Manchester. The first male contestant has confessed he has high expectations and won’t commit to someone unless they take his breath away.

He is a Jamaican citizen that plays semi-professional rugby and has obtained three different degrees and attended three separate universities.

Lana Jenkins 

Lana Jenkins is a 25-year-old makeup artist from Luton. Lana has confessed she doesn’t like men who are too needy over text message.

She’s no stranger to falling in love quickly and predicts she might go head over heels for someone quickly. The makeup artist used to live in Spain and was an extra in Benidorm when she was six.

Ron Hall

Ron Hall is a 25-year-old financial advisor from Essex. The fun and charismatic singleton is blind in one eye due to a football injury when he was 8. Hall has different coloured eyes - one blue and one green.

He sees himself as genuine and caring and thinks the villa will take to his personality.

Anna-May Robey

Anna is a 20-year-old payroll administrator from Swansea. The energetic islander is on the show because her mother is bugging her to find a boyfriend.

Speaking to ITV, she described her worst date: “I went on a date once and I never saw him again. We went for food and shared a bottle of wine. As I was speaking to him he fell asleep! I had to clink his wine glass to wake him up”.

Will Young

Will is a 23-year-old farmer from Buckinghamshire. He is a busy meditator and is happy to get away from life on the farm to find love.

Speaking to ITV about who he wants to play him in a movie, he said: “Sir David Attenborough. Imagine hearing his calming voice talking while he’s feeding the animals, his top off, some short shorts… he would rock it.”.

Tanyel Revan

Tanyel is a 26-year-old hair stylist from North London. The energetic and confident islander is feisty and has a huge celebrity crush on Channing Tatum.

Shaq Muhammad

Shaq Muhammad is a 24-year-old airport security officer from London. Shaq is hoping he can find love in the villa after an unsuccessful past with relationships.

Speaking to ITV about a fact no one else knows, he said: “Every time I watch Dear John I cry. That’s my favourite film. Any time I’m with someone and they say, ‘Let’s watch a romantic film’, I’m like, ‘How about Dear John, how does that sound?’”

Olivia Hawkins

Olivia is a 27-year-old ring girl and actress from Brighton. The confident and bubbly islander has never been in a relationship and feels now is the right time to settle down.

Speaking to ITV about her claim to fame, she said: “I did a film with Jason Statham and had a nice 10-minute convo about life. I’ve been a ring girl for KSI, I played a waitress in James Bond with Daniel Craig and I’ve also been a body double for Michelle Keegan and Emma Watson”.

Haris Namani

Haris is a 21-year-old TV salesman from Doncaster. The friendly and unique islander has never taken a girl home before and will only know he’s found the one once they meet his family.

When does Love Island UK start 2023?

Love Island is set to make its triumphant and sun-baked return to the scorching South African villa on January 16, 2023. It will air on ITV2 at 9pm, as well as being made available on new streaming and on-demand service ITVX.