Love Island 2021 stars' strangest hobbies – ultra marathons, driving luxury cars and DJ

Love Island 2021 has seen a fresh new cast of beautiful Islanders set foot in the villa – and become regular features on our TV screens.

The beautiful contestants have already shot to fame during their time on the ITV2 dating show, racking up stacks of social media followers in the process – with stars like Kaz Kamwi sitting on almost 500k fans on Instagram.

We’ve all enjoyed getting to know the hunky lads and beautiful babes over the last few weeks as they parade around the villa in their swimwear.

This year’s Series 7 cohort has seen a diverse range of jobs among its singletons, from letting agents (Faye Winter) and financial consultants (Teddy Soares) to fashion bloggers (Kaz) and footballers (Toby Aromolaran).

However, many fans won’t know what the reality stars get up to in their spare time – and some of their quirky interests might just surprise you as they range from the super sporty to the ultra geeky.

As the drama-filled series draws to a close, the Daily Star has taken a look at the surprising hobbies of this year’s cast.

Shannon Singh – Gamer ‘geek’ and DJ

Stunning model Shannon Singh only lasted a couple of days in the villa, getting chucked out in a brutal vote-off and becoming the first Islander to leave the show.

The 22-year-old Fife-based beauty is a gorgeous model and influencer – but she also has a geeky side that might surprise you.

The bombshell Scot is also a gamer “geek” who loves playing video games and even livestreams them online from her own Twitch account to her thousands of followers.

She revealed her passion for gaming whilst in the villa, telling events host Aaron Francis: “I game, I Twitch, I play COD.

“No I actually play it like really good.”

Shannon shared that she loved the shooting game Call Of Duty (COD), and posted a screenshot of a high score on the game with the caption: “Fun fact for you all, I’m a geek at COD.”

The former glamour model has also dabbled in music, as she likes getting her hands on the DJ decks too.

In fact, she kicked off this year’s promo video by scratching the Love Island record player – strutting her stuff in a steamy golden bikini.

She told ITV: “I used to be a glamour model when I was 18/19.

“Now I’m more on Instagram/YouTube. I’ve done a bit of commercial modelling. I can DJ as well.”

The ex-Islander also has a YouTube account under the name Alexa Singh where she has more than 10k subscribers.

Hugo Hammond – Cricket player

Hugo Hammond had a rough time finding success in the villa, and he even admitted his attempts at finding love were “tragic” in his exit interview which left Amy Day gobsmacked.

Aside from his life in the romance department, the former PE teacher, 24, is an avid cricket player.

The Hampshire hunk was clearly rather good, because he played cricket for England PD (Physical Disability).

Hugo loves his sport and has explained how his disability – clubfoot – didn’t stop him from venturing out onto the cricket field.

Clubfoot is when a baby is born with feet that turn under.

Speaking about his former career, he said: “I’ve been to Bangladesh, Dubai, I’ve been everywhere to play cricket.

“I was born with clubfoot. I had lots of operations when I was a kid. You can only really tell when I walk barefoot. I’ve got a really short achilles heel. I walk slightly on my tip toes.”

However, like Shannon, Hugo likes his video games and on his Instagram Story he admitted: “I’m definitely a gamer.”

Priya Gopaldas – Ultra marathon runner

Priya Gopaldas has been the latest bombshell lady to enter the villa, and she was thrust into the drama after just 24 hours when a shock recoupling hit the villa on Wednesday night.

The 23-year-old medical student from London opted to couple up with new boy Brett Staniland over Irish lad Matthew MacNabb – who was sent home gutted.

When she’s not saving lives in the hospital though, Priya loves to run ultra marathons – giant marathons of up to 100 miles – and confessed she’s very competitive.

She said: “Competition is something I really enjoy, I thrive off it. I went to an all girls school so it was very competitive and I played netball with a team of girls.

“I’m also a keen runner, I run ultra marathons which is another of my passions.

“I’ve been around lots of girls before that I’ve been in direct competition with so I’m used to that. I’m ready for the Love Island Villa in terms of competition.”

Chuggs Wallis – Rugby hunk and surfer dude

Posh lad Chuggs didn’t last long in the villa either, but the bucket hat entrepreneur has plenty of hobbies to keep him going.

Despite his efforts to woo Rachel Finni, she chose to couple up with Brad McClelland which meant Chuggs was booted from the Island after just a few days.

The 23-year-old seems to be well-travelled and has photos of him posing in various hotspots around the globe, suggesting he’s a nomad at heart.

His social media feed includes picturesque views from Canada lakes to Marbella resorts and Loch Ness in Scotland.

Chuggs’ family members regularly feature in his snaps too, such as his brothers, mum and dad.

He’s also a sports fanatic who regularly documents his various outdoor activities with his followers on Instagram.

You’ll find him playing rugby, swimming, kayaking, and surfing.

Brad McClelland – Footballer

Brad McClelland is a labourer by trade, but he’s been a keen footballer for years, and has played for a handful of clubs.

The 26-year-old from Northumberland was a centre forward for Alnwich Town and Amble Tavern before the Covid pandemic hit.

Brad was an instant hit in the villa – catching the eye of ladies like Lucinda Strafford and Rachel Finni.

However, it appears Brad was a hit at his previous football clubs, too, because his former manager had plenty of praise for the hunk.

Paul Yeadon, his former manager at Alnwich, said: “He was really quick, knew where the back of the net was and on top of that he is a really lovely lad.”

He added: “On and off the pitch he is a really humble and down to earth guy and he was a pleasure to work with.”

Brett Staniland – Luxury car enthusiast

For more of the latest showbiz news from the Daily Star, make sure you sign up to one of our newsletters here.

Brett is the latest bloke to enter the villa as a bombshell, and he was saved by Priya on Wednesday night when she chose him over Matthew.

The model and PhD student from Derbyshire, who is also a twin, rocked up at the villa and surprised the girls after the Greek Gods challenge.

Brett took Priya out on a date and there seemed to be an instant spark between the two.

The pair bonded over their shared interests of exercise – with Priya’s love for running and Brett being an exercise student.

However, Brett appears to have another interest – and that’s driving around luxury Jaguar cars.

On his Instagram profile, you can find the dashing chap posing with a range of fancy cars such as Jaguars, where he talks excitedly about them to his followers.

In one snap, he wrote: “A nice trip driving the @jaguaruk E-Pace through the countryside last week.

“A place where the most popular greeting is ‘ayup me duck’.”

Love Island airs at 9pm on ITV2 and ITVHub

Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk