Gone are the days when Love Island contestants were ordinary people with less than 1000 Instagram followers. These days, contestants on the ITV2 dating show are much more likely to be the children of some of Britain’s richest and most famous parents.
Islanders are often discreet about who their famous family is when they first get to the villa, but as the show plays out, some contestants are itching to name-drop their successful parents. Like when Gemma Owen casually admitted her dad was the football legend Michael Owen last summer, or when the son of Boyzone frontman Ronan Keating popped up in the same season. This year, so far, we have one confirmed nepo baby on the lineup, Molly Marsh – the 21-year-old daughter of Coronation Street actor Janet Marsh.
Here is our definitive rundown of Love Island’s most well-connected Islanders from over the years...
Gemma Owen, season eight (2022)
The influencer and international dressage rider who appeared on the show aged just 19 years old found love with fishmonger Luca Bish, with the pair making it all the way to the final. They split in November, just months after making it official. In one scene, fellow Islander Antigoni Buxton asked: “Sorry, excuse me if I’m being ignorant, but is your dad like very very well-known? He played for England, right?”
Gemma confirmed this was the case, then when asked by another contestant if she liked David Beckham’s sons, she added: “Well, I went to nursery with his sons, yeah.”
Her father is the former England footballer Michael Owen.
Antigoni Buxton, season eight (2022)
The singer, model and influencer stepped onto our screens briefly in season eight, before she was dumped after the boys chose to save Danica Taylor over her. But Antigoni was always destined for something greater as she continues to pursue her singing career. And her parents? Her mother is Tonia Buxton, a celebrity chef and owner of the restaurant chain The Real Greek. They often appear together in cooking tutorials on social media.
Tommy Fury, season five (2021)
Fury, who was a runner-up in 2021’s series with his girlfriend Molly-Mae Hague, is the younger brother of world-renowned boxer Tyson Fury. While Tommy was pretty discreet about his boxing legend family throughout his time on the series, fans quickly figured it out when season five began airing.
Jack Keating, season eight (2022)
Jack lasted five days in the villa but he didn’t hold back in name-dropping his father. In a poolside chat with Gemma, he admitted his dad was a singer.
Gemma quizzed: “A well-known singer?” To which Jack replied: “Yeah he is, you know Ronan Keating? That’s the old man.”
Dani Dyer, season four (2018)
There’s no better way to name-drop your parent than to have an almost identical name to them. Dani Dyer, who found love with Jack Fincham in the villa, is the daughter of the presenter and actor Danny Dyer, who plays Alfie Moon in EastEnders and has his own Netflix game show called Cheat.
Liam Llewellyn, season eight (2022)
Even though Liam chose to leave the villa last summer after six days, he was discreet about who his parents are – his dad being the international rugby player David Llewellyn, who played in the 1999 World Cup for Wales.
Molly Marsh, season nine (2023)
21-year-old Molly, a social media creator and musical theatre performer, will be arriving in the Mallorca villa for season nine on Monday (5 June). The newcomer to the villa is the daughter of Janet Marsh, an actor who has had several roles in ITV’s Coronation Street over the years, and featured in series like Bodies, Where The Heart Is and Still Open All Hours.
But Molly has tried to shy away from her nepo baby beginnings, telling OK Magazine in an interview that her mum had “only done small day player roles” and insisted that she has not given her daughter any advice for appearing on television.
Love Island returns to ITV2 on Monday 5 June.
