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Love Island UK season 9 is bringing 10 new single islanders who will spend two months together in a villa and try to find a romantic connection. The upcoming season of Love Island will be hosted by Maya Jama instead of Laura Whitmore, and the cast will head to South Africa.
The participants will be staying at a villa together in Franschhoek Wine Valley to try to form love connections, with new bombshells arriving every couple of days. Additionally, they will not be able to use any form of social media.
The show will premiere on Monday, January 16, at 9 pm ET, on ITV2 and ITVX.
Meet the cast members of Love Island UK season 9
1) Anna-May Robey
20-year-old Robey is a payroll administrator from Swansea and has been single for "quite a while." She wants to find a partner who makes her laugh and describes herself as:
"I’m always running around singing and screaming. My parents are always like, "Shut up!"
According to her, she is very "energetic" and feels that the show is a good way to meet someone "in a new way."
2) Haris Namani
The 21-year-old is from Doncaster and hopes to find love on the island as he has never been able to find a partner on his own. He is a TV salesman and introduces himself on the show as:
"I'm different, I’m a unique guy, the way I act; confident, not awkward, especially with the girls. I’m friendly, I’m very respectful as well."
Namani believes that anyone who meets him will not have a bad impression of him and that he will never confess his love for a girl until she has met his family.
3) Kai Fagan
24-year-old Fagan is a science and PE teacher who currently holds 3 degrees from 3 different universities. He lives in Manchester but is a Jamaican citizen. He previously played rugby for Jamaica and is now a semi-professional player for Burnage RFC.
Kai Fagan is single by choice and has high expectations from his partner. Currently single by choice, he says:
"I don’t feel I should commit to someone unless I’m absolutely buzzing over them, because it’s not fair on them."
The contestant calls himself a "chilled, caring, very impulsive, and a good guy" who always puts his friends and family first.
4) Lana Jenkins
Originally from Luton, Jenkins is a professional make-up artist. Currently 25-year-old, she falls in love very "quickly" and has told her dates that she loves them within a week of their first meeting. Speaking of her preferences, Jenkins says:
"If I see a guy trip over, that’s an instant turn off."
The contestant was an extra on the Benidorm show when she was 6.
5) Olivia Hawkins
Hawkins is a 27-year-old ring girl and actress living in Brighton, England. This "confident, bubbly person" is bringing "fun vibes and maybe a little bit of drama" to Love Island. She has never been in a relationship but now wants to settle down.
The contestant has worked as a body double for actors Michelle Keegan and Emma Watson. She was also in a film with Jason Statham, where she had a 10-minute conversation about life.
6) Ron Hall
Ron is a 25-years-old financial advisor from Essex and is Love Island’s first partially sighted contestant. He went blind in one eye at the age of 8 when a football hit him in the face while he was trying to go in for a header. Speaking of the same, he says:
"It’s not hindered me in any shape or form. It’s a good conversation starter I must admit."
He will bring "fun and charisma" to the Love Island villa and thinks that people will enjoy his company.
7) Shaq Muhammad
Muhammad is an airport security officer from London who wants to find his wife in the Love Island villa. 27-year-old Shaq is a very emotional person and cries every time he watches Dear John. He says that he wears his heart on his sleeve and that:
"If I find someone I click with, I fall very hard, very fast. Sometimes that can be a bad thing. I’m a very emotional person. It can be a blessing and a curse."
He has not been successful in his previous relationships.
8) Tanya Manhenga
22-year-old Manhenga is a biomedical science student and influencer. Originally from Liverpool, Tanya says that her biggest ick is men who don’t wear socks. She thinks her time in the Love Island villa will help her figure out “who it is [she] may want.”
9) Tanyel Revan
Revan is a 26-year-old hair stylist from North London who is "hard to get, confident, funny, charismatic, good looking, and happy." Her celebrity crush is Channing Tatum, and she does not like "pretty boys" because they have "c**p personality."
The contestant calls herself very loyal and likes men who can dance.
10) Will Young
Originally from Buckinghamshire, 23-year-old Young is a farmer who finds it difficult to handle work and relationships. He hopes that Sir David Attenborough will play his character in a movie based on his life because:
"Imagine hearing his calming voice talking while he’s feeding the animals, his top off, some short shorts… he would rock it."
Young wants to spend some time away from the farm to meet his wife.
Tune in to ITV2 on Monday, January 16, to find out which contestants will be able to form love connections together in Love Island UK season 9 premiere.
