Love Island 2024 full line-up with first ever celeb bombshell Joey Essex

A brand new series of Love Island 2024 has landed on ITV2 and for the first time ever it includes a celebrity bombshell - The Only Way Is Essex star Joey Essex.

Reality star Essex is looking for love on the show’s eleventh series - its second of 2024, after spin-off Love Island: All-Stars aired throughout January, bringing back some of the most popular names from the show’s multiple incarnations.

Read more: All the Love Island winning couples so far

The January special replaced a winter series which typically aired at around the same time. However, fans are eager to return to the sunny villa in Mallorca for more hook-ups, drama and coupling chaos.

Here’s everything we know about Love Island 2024 so far.

Who is taking part in Love Island 2024?

Joey Essex

Reality TV superstar Joey Essex stunned viewers and Islanders when he made a surprise entrance to the villa in episode one as this summer's first bombshell.

He is the first ever celebrity bombshell but claimed he was genuinely looking for love and that the villa was "the only place to find it".

Essex is best known for finding fame on The Only Way Is Essex, but has also appeared on Celebs Go Dating, Celebrity Ex On The Beach, I'm A Celebrity, Dancing On Ice and various other TV contests.

Essex joins 12 original contestants for the start of the series, but as fans will know, we can expect an ever-changing line-up as more bombshells arrive in the villa and other singles are dumped.

Samantha Kenny

26-year-old Samantha is a make-up artist from Liverpool and has decided to enter the villa because she feels it’s time to lay down some roots.

“I’m ready to settle down and Love Island is an amazing opportunity to meet someone that isn’t from my area,” says Sam. “I love a Cockney boy so I’m hoping there is one in there for me.”

That said, she’s not afraid to spice things up in her search for Mr Right. “I will definitely bring some fire, I’m very opinionated and wear my heart on my sleeve,” she adds. “I’m really bubbly too so I’ll definitely have a laugh as well as bringing some Scouse glamour.”

Nicole Samuel

Nicole is an accounts manager hailing from Aberdare and is 24 years old.

Despite the show having not started yet, she’s already confident that she’ll be entering the villa with a bang. “My personality is big and I’m pretty out there, I reckon I’ll probably have one of the biggest personalities in the villa,” she says.

Billing herself as “upfront” and “cheeky, wild and really chatty,” she assures viewers that “guys always know where they stand,” when it comes to potential relationships.

Patsy Field

29-year-old Patsy is an office administrator from Orpington and as this new series of Love Island progresses, odds are we might find her at the centre of the drama.

“I’m a big personality and I like to be the centre of attention so I’ll definitely bring the fun,” she reveals. “I’d also say that I will bring the sass, I’m not looking for drama but I do tend to attract it.”

However, this also might be the reason why she’s single: “I’m picky and tend to get bored quite easily, I also end up picking the wrong guys so it never works out long term.”

Jess White

Jess hails from Stockport where she works as a retail manager.

The 25-year-old islander has entered the villa because all of her friends have already settled down and she’s worried she’ll end up as “that aunt that rocks up at family parties and they say ‘she's still not met someone, she’s still going to Ibiza having a midlife crisis’.”

As for why she’s single? “I think I’m single because I don’t underestimate the fact that I’m hard work. I know what I want and I'm not easily pleased. When you’re a loud, outgoing woman, sometimes it can intimidate men — men don’t always want that.”

Mimii Ngulube

Mental health nurse Mimii is 24 and lives in Portsmouth. She says her friends would describe her as “loving, supportive, considerate, empathetic, loyal” and someone with a “big heart.”

She also warns her fellow islanders not to take her at face value, admitting that she has a “resting b**** face.”

“It doesn’t mean I’m upset, I’m not angry, I’m just chilling,” she insists. “It is just my face!”

Harriett Blackmore

24-year-old Harriett is a dancer and personal shopper from Brighton. She’s recently single following a three-year relationship and hopes to find love in the villa.

For the guys, Harriett says she’s “definitely up the flirting” and for the girls, she says she’s “a really good friend.”

She also assures viewers that she’ll bring the drama: “Whether that’s making the girls laugh or making the boys turn their heads.”

Ayo Odukoya

Ayo is a 25-year-old model from Canning Town and is entering the villa with an open mind, ready to welcome anything that comes his way. “Of course, you can’t go wrong trying to find that love again — that is something that would be amazing to find if possible,” he says.

He says he’ll bring “excitement and joy” to the series and is looking for someone with morals and "who is very grounded and humble.”

Sam Taylor

23-year-old hair stylist Sam comes from Chesterfield. He’s entering Love Island to “find a real connection with someone.”

He says he’s still single because he’s struggled to find someone “on the same wavelength” as him who can also match his energy.

As for the attributes he finds attractive in the opposite sex, it’s all about manners and good communication skills. “Looks wise, I like a girl with a good smile,” he adds.

Ciaran Davies

21-year-old surveyor Ciaran is swapping his South Wales home for the Love Island villa and he feels like it’s the right time to make the switch. “I feel like I’m mature enough for something serious with the right girl,” he explains.

In addition to bringing “a lot of energy, laughs and good vibes,” he also describes himself as a bit of a wind up so is ideally looking for someone who can give as good as they get.

“Loyalty is another one for me,” he adds. “I think that’s the most important thing to look for in a relationship.”

Munveer Jabbal

Munveer is a recruitment manager from Surrey but this summer, he’ll be a contestant on Love Island.

At 30, he’s one of the oldest islanders and admits that age is one of the factors that convinced him to join the show: “I need to start thinking seriously about the next step, and what better place,” he says.

His ideal partner is someone with “good values, good banter and a pretty face,” and his claim to fame is that he's mates with Piers Morgan”s son Spencer. As for whether that”ll attract or deter his fellow islanders, only time will tell.

Sean Stone

24-year-old Sean sells sweets in Hertfordshire and readily admits that the one thing missing from his life is a soul mate.

He’s very picky, which is why he believes he’s still single and he’s looking for someone who’s “caring, ambitious and supportive.”

Fun fact: he also has a third nipple. “It’s discrete but when it gets cold it comes out,” he laughs.

Ronnie Vint

Ronnie is a semi-professional footballer originally from south-east London.

The 27-year-old says he’s a “fun, bubbly person looking for a good time,” and is hoping to break his recent spell as a singleton by finding “the right person [he] can build a life with.”

There’s a catch though: he’s a bit of a mayonnaise addict. “The only thing I don’t have it on is cereal,” he says.

Bombshells

After Joey Essex's shock entrance at the start of the series, more bombshells have started arriving at the villa door to shake things up between the couples.

Uma Jammeh

The first female bombshell entering the villa is 23-year-old VIP host and model Uma from North London.

She has been single her whole life so far, but says she's ready for a boyfriend and thinks she's going to be "the funniest girl in the villa".

A little ominously, Uma adds: "When people first see me, they usually think I’m going to be horrible, they are always surprised when I’m not!"

When will Love Island 2024 start?

Love Island 2024 starts on Monday, 3 June at 9pm, debuting with a multi-channel takeover that'll see the show debut on ITV1, ITV2, STV and streaming services ITVX and STV Player.

Following this, the show will continue to play out as usual on ITV2 and ITVX. Aftershow Love Island: Aftersun will also return each Sunday on ITV2 and ITVX.

Maya Jama will return to host the show, having taken over from Laura Whitmore in 2022. Jama also hosted this year’s All Stars edition and is set to be joined once more by long-time series narrator Iain Stirling.

Love Island: Aftersun will be hosted by Jama and panellists Sam Thompson and Indiyah Polack. They’ll be joined by some new guest panellists who’ll discuss the goings-on in the villa, these include Amy Hart, Chris Taylor and Jordan Stephens.

Polack will return to host the show’s official podcast Love Island: The Morning After with co-hosts Amy Hart and Chris Taylor. New episodes will drop every Tuesday to Saturday throughout the new series’ run, with the show available visually on YouTube.

Who won Love Island 2023?

Couple Sammy Root and Jess Harding emerged victorious from Love Island 2023 but sadly their villa romance didn’t last long, with the pair announcing their split just two months after the series ended.

Who won Love Island: All Stars 2023?

After coming out on top of a public vote, couple Molly Smith and Tom Clare won Love Island: All Stars 2024.

Their luck seems to be continuing in the real world too, with the couple still an item more than four months after the spin-off series’ finale.

Love Island 2024 continues on ITV1, ITV2 and ITVX.