After 18 months away from our screens, Love Island 2021 is almost here. This will be the first summer series since 2019, when we saw Amber Gill and Greg O’Shea split the £50,000 prize money.
After disappointing ratings for last year’s winter series – and, of course, months and months without dating or holidays – this may be the most anticipated series of the hit reality show yet.
In an effort to address past criticisms of the show, the Love Island 2021 contestants line-up is set to be the first to feature a disabled contestant, and ITV bosses have also upped the show’s after-care offering.
Luxury events planner and labourer Brad McClelland is one contestant we’ll meet for the first time tonight. And, considering the 26-year-old currently lives with his Nana, hitting the Majorca villa could be one hell of a ride.
Brad McClelland – Key Facts
Age: 26
Job: Labourer
From: Northumberland
Instagram: @brad_mcclell
Why does Brad want to take part in Love Island?
“I want to date face-to-face, I like meeting people. I’m easy going, laid back. Who wouldn’t want to be in a nice villa in a hot country for a while?” We can’t argue with that, Brad.
He also revealed that it’s the excitement of being on the show that appeals to him, saying: “The socialising side of it [appeals] – meeting new people. And that’s not just meeting the lasses, meeting everyone.” It sounds like Brad will be quite the social butterfly.
What does Brad do for work?
Brad is a labourer and if you think that means he does a lot of hard graft, Brad thinks otherwise. “I try and make as much money as I can by doing as little as possible. [My colleagues would] probably say – not lazy, as I’m energetic – I just try to get away with doing literally nothing.”
While we know what his colleagues think of him, what about his family? “I’m the person that’ll take the p**s out of them but I’m the first one that they’ll go to if they’ve got any problems. I try to have a laugh and try not to take anything too seriously. They’d probably say I’m too honest.”
What kind of dater is Brad?
In his preview video, Brad admitted that – like many people – COVID has landed him in a dry spell since 2019. The 26-year-old split up with his last girlfriend a couple of months before the pandemic hit, and has struggled to meet people (for obvious reasons) ever since.
Before the first lockdown, Brad had a couple of months of going out and mingling, then went away travelling. “I got back in January and, obviously, had a lot of things planned and then, all of a sudden – boom – COVID hit.”
The rule of six hasn’t helped Brad’s cause. “When you’re out and about, with the rule of six, you might be staring at a lass that’s across on another table, and then ‘What’s your number?’ they’re gonna be shouting the digits across the two-metre gap.”
What about dating apps? “I’ve tried but it’s just the small talk… You’ll match someone, you’ll say ‘Hello, where you from?’ All of a sudden, conversation stops, onto the next one.”
Will Brad’s Nana be watching?
Brad lives with his 76-year-old Nana Joyce but he thinks she’ll be more interested in watching the soaps than seeing him in the villa.
Will he be keeping his behaviour PG in case she tunes in? “She’s very real, very down to earth. She’s not blind to that side of things. She will watch the show at the start. Emmerdale, Hollyoaks, Coronation Street, EastEnders that’s her sort of thing. Obviously, a big reason that she’d have to watch this is ‘cause her grandson’s in this. So, if she’s watching, I’m sure she’ll be fine with whatever, I’m sure she’ll still stand by us.”
Brad has tried to explain the show’s concept to his Nana but he says, initially, she thought he’d be in the villa on his own for eight weeks. “I was like ‘No, there’s going to be a lot of people’, she was like ‘Are your friends going with you?’ and I was like ‘No, but there’s gonna be opportunity to make friends’.” We hope Joyce isn’t in for too much of a shock!
What is Brad looking for in a partner?
If any of the ladies in the villa are prone to nagging, they may want to look elsewhere for their suitor as Brad does not have time for that.
“[I’m looking for] someone who doesn’t take themselves too seriously. I could not be with someone that’s constantly on your case. I’d say I like dark hair, dark skin, dark eyes. But then my ex-girlfriend who I was with for over eight years was fair-skinned, blue eyes, blonde hair.”
Want to meet the other Love Island 2021 contestants?
- Hugo Hammond
- Aaron Francis
- Sharon Gaffka
- Shannon Singh
- Liberty Poole
- Kaz Kamwi
- Jake Cornish
- Toby Aromolaran
- Chloe Burrows
- Faye Winter
Love Island returns to ITV2 and ITV Hub on Monday, June 28th. For more info check out Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and Facebook. While you’re waiting, check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.
from Radio Times https://ift.tt/3d32QRi
