Love Island fans think they’ve uncovered identity of star’s famous footballer ex

Love Island fans are convinced they have worked out who the star was talking about

Some Love Island fans reckon they’ve cracked the identity of one star’s famous former flame.

Viewers have been captivated by the 13th series of ITV’s hit dating programme since it kicked off earlier this month. At this stage, roughly 20 contestants have stepped into the Spanish villa hoping to discover genuine romance.

Throughout the journey, there’s been no shortage of explosive moments with numerous love triangles alongside some savage eliminations following a contentious vote by the Islanders themselves.

Many of the participants revealed before the series commenced their own challenges with romance in the real world. Monday’s latest instalment (June 22) witnessed them revisiting this topic once more.

Footage showed the Islanders engaging in an eye-opening round of ‘Never Have I Ever. ‘ This featured some racy statements which they were required to read out loud, reports OK!

If an Islander is guilty of the action, they take a gulp. Secrets emerge instantly with questions spanning from, ‘Never have I ever had more than ten people on my roster,’ to, ‘Never have I ever been tempted by another Islander’.

Each disclosure prompted the remaining group to demand explanations. None more so than one particular question, which was: ‘Never have I ever dated a celebrity’.

Multiple people took a swig at this, including Jasmine, Angelista, Sean, Mica and Priya. Jasmine declined to divulge extensive details, merely confirming they were a Premier League footballer.

Sean mentioned his former partner was ‘a singer’ while Mica disclosed she has been romantically linked with several NFL stars and some footballers. Angelista revealed she had been on several dates with footballers from the Premier League and Championship.

Nevertheless, both viewers and fellow Islanders were desperate to uncover the identity of Priya’s celebrity ex.

Declining to reveal their name, when quizzed about what level he competed at she said: “I don’t know, he played in Shanghai. No, he was from Manchester.”

Fans have been swift to share precisely who they believe it could be. One supporter posted on social media: “Finding out Priya dated Jesse Lingard” followed by crying face emojis.

Another responded: “Shanghai plus Manchester. Only leads to Jesse Lingard.” Lingard was actually born in Warrington which sits roughly equidistant between Manchester and Liverpool.

Nevertheless, the attacking midfielder spent the majority of his career at Manchester United. He joined their youth setup when he was just 8 and remained in the first team for 11 years, while going out on loan on several occasions.

He subsequently joined Nottingham Forest before transferring to FC Seoul in South Korea and signed for Brazilian side Corinthians earlier this year. While supporters claim he featured in a match in Shanghai, he was never actually contracted to a Chinese-based club.

Other fans have consequently argued that Lingard could not be Priya’s famous ex. Instead, they suggest it is more probable to be defender Tyias Browning.

Despite not being a Manchester native, the now 32 year old was born in Liverpool and started his career with Everton, making seven senior appearances for the Toffees. It’s possible Priya confused his hometown as he spent a year on loan with Wigan, which is located in the Greater Manchester area.

Adding weight to the theory that Priya is actually referring to Browning, is the fact that he has been playing for Chinese Super League side Shanghai Port since 2022. He also represents the China national team, qualifying through his maternal grandfather.

Another fan spotted social media activity that supports this theory. They explained: “It’s most likely a player called Tyias Browning. Lingard never played in Shanghai and Browning follows Priya on Instagram.”

Love Island continues tonight at 9pm on ITV2 and ITVX.