Love Island finally returns to screens on Monday for its ninth series, as a bunch of new contestants head to South Africa looking for love. The winter edition of ITV’s hit dating show sees 10 hopeful singletons join new host Maya Jama, who replaces Laura Whitmore following her departure last year.
One of the Islanders hoping to find their soulmate in the series is 22-year-old Tanya Manhenga. Tanya is a biomedical science student and influencer from Liverpool and was the first of the contestants to be confirmed for the show.
She is studying for a degree at the University of Salford, and plans to complete the final term of her course when she returns to the UK. Depending on the outcome of the show, Tanya aspires to become an embryologist working in IVF.
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She describes herself as “very out there, spontaneous, fun and confident.” When asked what she will bring to the villa, she told ITV: “I’m super nice, but don’t let it fool you.
“I want to be friends with everyone but if you’re gonna be cheeky I’m the sort of person that will give it back.”
She added: “My mum would say I’m outgoing, friends would say I’m bubbly, flirty and too nice for my own good.”
On why someone would want to date her, she said: “I’m very out there, spontaneous, fun and confident. I won't be insecure about you chatting to other girls – but don’t try anything funny!”
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The student also revealed she has has “trust issues,” and believes this may be the reason she is yet to find the right man.
“I don’t trust guys,” she said. “Some want to get serious really quickly, but I don’t trust them enough, it’s all about trust.”
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When she finds herself falling for a guy, Tanya admitted she likes to keep her cards close to her chest. She said: “I could be in love but I will keep it to myself so he doesn’t know straight away.”
Tanya will be hoping the guys keep their socks on during their time in the villa, as “guys who don’t wear socks in the house” give her the “ick.”
“Why are your feet flapping all around the house?” she said. “Guys have huge feet too, yuck.
“Also, guys in the bathtub with no bubbles, such an ick, no.“
Tanya has Vitiligo, a condition that destroys the pigment cells of the skin, causing affected areas to turn pale. But she sees this as something of a positive, describing the condition as a “vibe.”
She said: “You may not even notice it. It’s on my lip and I have a stripe on my hair. Not many people know that but I think it’s quite cute. I don’t care about covering it up all the time, I think it’s a vibe.”
As well as working towards her degree, Tanya works as a social media influencer and has more than 20,000 followers on Instagram. She has already collaborated on posts with some big-name brands including Boohoo, Simmi shoes and Ego footwear.
Her dream dinner party guests would be Stormzy – who was in a relationship with new host Jama – Anthony Joshua and Channing Tatum.
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