Love Island 2023: Tanya Manhenga says her dream dinner party guest is Maya Jama’s ex partner Stormzy

The Boohoo model will enter the South African villa for the ninth series of Love Island.
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The first winter series of Love Island since 2020 is coming to our screens with a new batch of singletons looking to find love in the villa.

It will be the ninth series of Love Island and is being filmed in the sunshine at a location in South Africa.

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Presenter and DJ Maya Jama, 28, from Bristol, will be hosting the dating series for the first time after Laura Whitmore stepped down in August.

New contestants include Tanya Manhenga, who appears to have a thing for the ITV2 show host’s ex-partner.

The first contestant of Winter Love Island has reportedly been revealed as 22 year old Boohoo model Tanya Manhenga (Photo Credit: Instagram/@talkswithtt_/TANYA MANHENGA)The first contestant of Winter Love Island has reportedly been revealed as 22 year old Boohoo model Tanya Manhenga (Photo Credit: Instagram/@talkswithtt_/TANYA MANHENGA)
The first contestant of Winter Love Island has reportedly been revealed as 22 year old Boohoo model Tanya Manhenga (Photo Credit: Instagram/@talkswithtt_/TANYA MANHENGA)

The 22-year-old biomedical science student and influencer from Liverpool has admitted that she would like to have Stormzy as a dinner party guest.

Before heading into the villa, she was asked by the show’s producers who her dream dinner party guests are.

“Stormzy, Anthony Joshua and Channing Tatum,” she replied.

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It’s sure to make things awkward when she steps foot in the villa and comes face-to-face with Maya Jama.

Speaking about joining the cast, she said: “I’m looking for a boyfriend, and I think being in a villa with lots of different people will help me work out who it is I may want.”

Tanya’s ick is “guys that don’t wear socks in the house” and “ guys in the bathtub with no bubbles”.

It comes as Maya Jama opened up about her past relationship with Stormzy, whose real name is Michael Ebenezer Kwadjo Omari Owuo Jr.

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The TV presenter and rapper kicked off their relationship in 2015 before their careers had taken off, but amicably split in 2019.

The pair were rumoured to have rekindled their romance after Maya broke off her engagement to NBA star Ben Simmonds.

Stormzy and Maya Jama attend The Rated Awards at The Roundhouse on October 24, 2017 (Getty)Stormzy and Maya Jama attend The Rated Awards at The Roundhouse on October 24, 2017 (Getty)
Stormzy and Maya Jama attend The Rated Awards at The Roundhouse on October 24, 2017 (Getty)

However, In a recent interview, Maya said she is: “really, really single”.

Speaking to The Times, she recalled her romance with the rapper: “We were so young when we met, just beginning our careers. I was starting at MTV. He’d not even released a single at that point. We were just little babies.”

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She added: “I don’t think either of us knew it was going to be such a big thing. We were just: we’re young and in love, and we’re going to go for it and work really hard. We’re just together. We never really did red carpets. We didn’t do any of that stuff.”

Love Island will start on Monday, 16 January, on ITV 2, with the first episode airing at 9 pm.