island

Hundreds have rallied in Albania against plans by a Jared Kushner-linked investment firm to develop Albania’s Sazan Island and parts of a protected national park into a luxury seaside resort. Anger was fuelled by comments by Kushner’s wife, Ivanka Trump, describing Sazan as a ‘private island’ they ‘discovered’.

The island of 32,000 is not one on the British holidaymakers’ Greek trail, at least not when compared to the likes of Crete, Cyprus or Mykonos

Jet2 has just begun flying to a beautiful Greek island home to rugged mountains, cobblestone alleys and fresh waterfalls.

In May 2026, the budget airline launched a new flight route from the UK to Samos, becoming only the second airline to offer direct flights to the island, after TUI.

From May to the end of October, Jet2 will be flying twice weekly from Manchester Airport, London Stansted and Birmingham to Samos, with fares from £48.

The island of 32,000 is not one on the British holidaymakers’ Greek trail, at least not when compared to the likes of Crete, Cyprus or Mykonos. But there are plenty of reasons why a visit to Samos is a great idea.

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For one, it’s a place of serious historical pedigree, home as it is to two UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Pythagoreion and Heraion, and as the supposed birthplace of the Greek goddess Hera.

Zeus’s sister/wife is far from the only famous child Samos has to shout about. It is also the birthplace of the Greek philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras, the philosophers Melissus of Samos and Epicurus, and the astronomer Aristarchus of Samos, the first known person to suggest that the Earth revolves around the Sun.

Samos is one of the greenest Greek islands, and its nature is genuinely impressive. It is quite different from the more barren, sun-bleached look of many other Aegean islands.

Forests and mountains are a big part of that. Much of the island is covered in dense pine and cypress forests, and Mount Kerkis dominates the western end, rising to around 1,434 metres. It’s one of the highest peaks in the Aegean and is popular with serious hikers. The summit trail takes about 5–6 hours round trip.

Rivers and waterfalls are unusual for a Greek island, yet Samos has several. The most famous is the Potami waterfall near Karlovasi in the west, where a river flows through a gorge shaded by plane trees into a series of cascading pools you can swim in. It’s one of the most scenic spots on the island.

Beaches range from busy, sandy coves to wild, pebbly stretches backed by cliffs. Psili Ammos in the east has fine golden sand, while spots like Mikro Seitani and Megalo Seitani on the northwest coast are only reachable on foot or by boat.

Antasia Nalmpanti is the general manager of Casa Cook Samos, a hotel on the island with rooms from €243.

She told the Mirror: “Samos is one of those rare Greek islands that still feels genuinely undiscovered – and that’s a big part of what makes it so special. Unlike many Mediterranean destinations, it hasn’t been shaped by mass tourism; the pace is slower, the landscape is wilder, and the locals are incredibly welcoming.

“Our hotel, Casa Cook Samos, was designed to mirror exactly that spirit – inspired by the architecture of a traditional Samian village, nestled between lush hillsides and the Aegean, with private beach access and a restaurant that genuinely tastes of the island. Guests arrive looking for something real and unspoiled. Samos delivers that, every single time.

“At Casa Cook Samos, our goal is also to bring people together and revive the spirit of parea – the Greek tradition of sharing moments, stories, food, and connection, just as people once gathered around the village square. Guests can experience this feeling at our Parea Bar, where conversations flow naturally, and during our Samian Dinner, where a local yiayia joins us to prepare traditional dishes and share the island’s culinary heritage. It’s these authentic moments of togetherness that make a stay on Samos truly memorable.“

She first appeared in 2017 before returning as an All Star in 2025. Now, Gabby Allen is joining the Mirror for an opening show watch-along.

She’ll be bringing a unique take on all things villa life from someone who knows it better than most.

Who will impress her and who will be an immediate red flag. The Scouse bombshell already has high hopes for her fellow Liverpudlian, Robyn.

Let’s see how this one goes… it’s nearly over to you, Maya!

ONE of the UK’s prettiest islands has been forced to ban people travelling there once a week.

Ulva is home to just 16 people but after it starred on a TV show, has experienced ‘unprecedented interest’ by tourists.

In a bid to control the number of people visiting the small Scottish island, the local and only ferry service has announced it will not run on Sundays.

Ulva is an island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland found off the west coast of the Isle of Mull.

The island receives an influx of visitors during the spring and summertime – but this year has had more than ever.

This is a result of the TV show, Banjo & Ro’s Grand Island Hotel being aired on BBC Scotland and iPlayer.

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Banjo and Ro who hail from Australia appeared on the series renovating Ulva House – a Regency home that will open as a hotel.

Since the show aired, the island has become much busier – so much so that the ferry operator has decided to close on certain days.

The ferry is the only way to get to Ulva as it crosses the strait from Mull in around 5-minutes.

The foot passenger ferry operates on weekdays from 9am to 5.30pm and does not operate on Saturdays.

In recent news, the ferry announced it will no longer carry passengers across on Sundays either.

In a recent post, it said: “None of us could have predicted how significant the increase in the numbers of visitors would be, so to give ourselves, the Boathouse [restaurant] and fellow islanders the chance to recharge and prepare for the week ahead, we have made the difficult decision not to open Sundays this summer.”

For those who have already pre-booked a trip to the island in June, July or August, the ferry operator has said that it will still help visitors across.

Banjo and Ro already run The Boathouse on Ulva, a restaurant where visitors can pick up a coffee or local fish dishes.

The island is car-free island with cliffs, moorlands, woodland as well as quiet beaches and bays.

Talking to Sun Travel about the island, Banjo described it as “another world” and there’s plenty of wildlife to spot too.

Banjo said: “We’ve got otters, dolphins and seals swimming by, and one ferry you can take from Ulva is called Turus Mara which goes to the Treshnish Isles, it’s home to puffins.

“Often we go there for a puffin picnic just to sit with them, that’s one of our favourite things to do.

“There are more cows than people too so you’re likely to see a lot of them. And you’ve got a great chance of seeing the Northern Lights when the sun goes down.”

When it comes to activities on the island, of course Banjo suggests stopping at The Boathouse for a “pre-walk coffee” then a walk to Ormaig.

Here is where there are ruins of the island’s villages.

Another attraction is Livingston’s Cave, and nearby you’ll see “gorgeous view of Inch Kenneth where the Mitford sisters used to live”.

Then Banjo said: “Head back to The Boathouse for lunch – we serve fresh langoustines, crab and lobster which you can enjoy with a fresh bottle of wine.”

WITH over 6,000 islands, travellers are simply spoiled for choice when it comes to booking a holiday in Greece – but one quieter island offers a serene retreat.

Often dubbed the ‘Goldilocks’ of the Greek Cyclades, Sifnos “is quite possibly the perfect Greek island: not too big and not too small” according to Conde Nast Traveller.

Follow The Sun’s award-winning travel team on Instagram and Tiktok for top holiday tips and inspiration @thesuntravel.

Its ‘perfect’ appearance is helped by the lack of crowds on the island compared to other Greek islands.

So much so, Swedish news website News55 has said the island is one of the top travel destinations this year as it avoids mass tourism.

Apollonia is the main village on the island and when visiting, make sure to have a wander down Steno, which is the main pedestrian street lined with traditional shops and cosy cafes.

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On the coast of the island, you can visit the former capital Kastro.

Dating back around 3,000 years, Kastro is completely pedestrianised and is full of quaint, whitewashed buildings with paths leading down to the sea where you can spot Church of the Seven Martyrs, perched on a rock islet just below the village.

There are a number of other villages on the island too, including Artemonas, which is just a short walk from Apollonia.

In Artemonas, visitors can see a number of 19th century neoclassical mansions along the main stone path.

The village is also known for its churches, such as the Church of Panagia Kohi, which is built over an ancient temple to Artemis.

If you’re more of an outdoorsy person, you won’t be short of hiking routes including a well-marked trail between Artemonas and the sea.

Wherever you go on the island, make sure to look out for amigdalota – a type of almond sweet that the island is famous for.

Scattered across the island you’ll see lots of quaint tavernas too, serving traditional Sifniote food such as chickpea balls and slow roasted lamb.

One Sun reporter who previously visited the island said: “Everything is delicious on Sifnos.

“There’s the food bursting with zingy, sunny flavour, a landscape of steep hillsides carved with agricultural terraces, azure-domed churches perched by the sea and whitewashed villages.

“For a beach day, head to Platis Gialos – a stretch of sand backed by chic bars and eateries, such as Omega3 which serves seafood dishes such as sea urchin ceviche, paired with regional wines.

“The coastline is laced with smaller beaches and secluded rocky coves, with my favourite being below the blue-domed church of Panagia Poulati –reached via a short, but steep, hike down from Verina Astra.

“Floating in the clear water, and having the place all to ourselves, was the most delicious feeling of all.”

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If you are keen to explore more beach spots, Cherronisos is another good choice and can be found in a small fishing village on the far north of the island.

One recent visitor said: “Amazing beach, amazing walking trail to the church on the top of the hill and AMAZING tavern.”

Dotted around the beach you will find a number of holiday homes too, costing as little as £63 per night and boasting panoramic views of the sea.

Sifnos doesn’t have an airport, so you’ll have to catch a ferry to reach the island which takes between two-and-a-half and three-and-a-half hours from Athens.

The main and only port on Sifnos is Kamares, where you will also find a number of places to stay including AirBnBs costing as little as £209 for a five night stay.

A single ticket from Athens to Sifnos on the ferry costs from €40.50 (£35.01) and the return leg costs from €35 (£30.26).

If you’re planning a trip to Japan, don’t just go to the big cities, instead head to another island which has golden sands and an unbeatable experience you’ll never forget

A stunning island just three hours away from Tokyo must be added to your Japan bucket list, because it was one of my favourite days of our five-week trip.

The little-known island is about 15 minutes by boat from Ishigaki, off Okinawa, and we actually flew from Osaka and were meant to fly direct to Ishigaki. However, our flight was cancelled without our knowing, so we ended up having to fly to Okinawa, and then catching a (very tight) connection to Ishigaki. However, flight drama aside, when we decided to go to Taketomi, we didn’t think there would be much to do or that we’d want to spend very long there. But we were so wrong…

Taketomi is within the Yaeyama District of Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Taketomi is one of the Yaeyama Islands, which are a tropical archipelago in southwestern Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, known as the nation’s southernmost and westernmost inhabited islands.

They feature coral reefs, lush jungles, and a laid-back, rural atmosphere, serving as a popular destination for snorkelling, diving, and experiencing traditional Ryukyu culture.

When we went, we immediately got a minibus to where we could catch a ride on water buffalo carts. It is an iconic 30-minute guided tour through the traditional Ryukyu village, featuring red-tile roofs and sandy streets.

It was absolutely amazing, an experience we’ll never forget, and our tour guide even played traditional Okinawan music on a sanshin, which is a stringed instrument. I felt like I was in a movie! It was certainly an experience that I won’t forget in a hurry.

Then, once we bought the professional photo (we had to), we headed to get some lunch. It’s worth remembering that an estimated 300 to 360 people live on Taketomi, so don’t expect any chain restaurants or anything you’re probably used to if you’re from the UK.

But the total change of pace to even big Japanese cities was amazing, and it was nice to spend time doing a variety of things while we were in Japan.

After, we went to the beach, where I was gobsmacked by the golden sands and the clear sea. Ishigaki was the first proper tropical island I’d ever been to, and Taketomi had all the same fantastic features. I’m now enamoured.

We had a little paddle in the sea, and I was gobsmacked to find that it was actually so warm, and while you’d have to go quite far out into the sea to actually be able to swim, it was definitely worth paddling.

If you’re going to Japan, make sure you add Okinawa or Ishigaki to your list of places to visit. I’d highly recommend Ishigaki, but I’m definitely biased. I think that Okinawa is a lot more touristy now, so Ishigaki suited us perfectly, especially as my partner is a scuba diver.

We loved it so much that we hope to go back to another of the Yaeyama Islands in the future. It is worth noting, however, that Ishigaki is located in an earthquake-prone area; tsunami awareness is essential year-round. Typhoon season runs from June to November, with the highest risk occurring from July to October.

Escape to an island for the day that offers stretches of golden sand shores, lined with colourful beach huts, seafood restaurants, a charming harbour and a delightful town to explore

The UK is brimming with coastal vistas, but the beaches nestled on an island just a few hours from London are perhaps some of the most beautiful.

Just off the coast of Essex, around nine miles southeast of Colchester and two hours from London, is the idyllic Mersea Island. The tidal island is renowned for its colourful beach huts, world-famous oysters, and its rich maritime heritage, offering a unique day out with a laid-back seaside charm.

It’s the UK’s most easterly inhabited island, with a population of around 7,000 residents spread across two areas: West Mersea and East Mersea. The island is also steeped in history, spanning more than a millennium, with its parish church, St Peter and St Paul, believed to date from the 7th century, while numerous Roman artefacts have been discovered in the vicinity.

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On the West of the island is where you’ll find its small fishing town, the most populated area of the island. While the east offers stretches of rural landscapes and is home to the island’s only country park, Cudmore Grove.

But the West is what draws visitors in, offering stretches of golden sand, stone and shell shores, lined with traditional pastel-coloured beach huts, a standout feature of this coast. It’s a haven for those looking to spend time on the beach against the picture-postcard backdrop, or to soak up the views during coastal walks along West Mersea beach.

While the island might not be blessed with the azure waters of Scotland or Cornwall, the shallow, typically calm waters are just as enticing and ideal for those looking to take part in fun water activities, like kayaking or paddleboarding. Yet there’s more to the waters that surround the island.

At least once a month, the island gets completely cut off from the mainland due to high tide. While it’s an island in its own right, there’s a road called ‘The Strood’ that connects Mersea to the mainland, but as the water completely submerges the road, the island is left to its own devices.

Thankfully, residents of the island aren’t cut off for long; it typically lasts only about an hour and a half. So, for residents and visitors, it’s vital to check the tide times to avoid brief periods of isolation.

But planning a trip is well worth it, with the addition of its quaint harbour to explore, which is dotted with fishing and sailing boats. This is the ideal spot where children can enjoy crabbing off the jetty and for adults to savour those acclaimed oysters.

Some of its most notable places to enjoy the island’s selection of seafood are at The Company Shed, The Coast Inn and Victory at Mersea. And of course, a visit to the beach wouldn’t be complete without a classic dish of fish and chips, which is available from a range of eateries on the island.

In the town, there are shops to wander around, along with tearooms, bakeries and coffee houses for a respite from the British weather. While the island is small, there’s a selection of pubs on the West Mersea for that refreshing pint by the coast and picturesque views out to the harbour.

It’s a little slice of paradise for those looking for a laid-back escape, or a day out at the beach on one of England’s islands. It even has its own vineyard and brewery to really savour the flavours of Essex.

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The Spanish destination has banned all new holiday rental properties — including houses and villas — as local authorities move to protect struggling residents from being pushed out of their own neighbourhoods

A beloved holiday destination popular with British tourists is cracking down on new holiday rental properties, after they were found to be forcing local residents out of their own communities.

Local politicians in Palma de Majorca are poised to bring in the measure to boost housing availability for hard-pressed residents. New licensed apartment holiday lets have already been prohibited there for several years, and now local politicians are moving forward with a ban on houses and villas.

Local councillor Óscar Fidalgo insisted the move was one that simply had to be made. He described it as proportionate and fair, adding that it should have been implemented sooner in order to protect those living on the island from spiking property prices.

He was openly critical of holiday rentals growing ‘like never before’, and warned that they were causing integration issues between tourists and locals.

According to Majorca Daily Bulletin, Fidalgo said: “The expansion of tourist accommodation reduces the available residential supply and makes it harder to access housing. The current model presents problems of legal certainty and complicates inspections, which allows for fraud. More inspection capacity is needed.

“There are also urban sustainability reasons. It affects neighbourhood coexistence. We must protect neighbourhoods and prevent the displacement of residents.”

A town hall technical report concluded that the Spanish holiday hotspot is unsuitable for the opening of new holiday rental properties.

In April this year, more than 8,000 illegal Airbnb listings in Majorca were removed from the website, totaling a withdrawal of more than 40,000 illegal tourist beds.

The move was part of a coordinated effort between Airbnb and the Spanish authorities to reduce the number of active rental properties.

The fines for running an unlicensed holiday let in Palma de Majorca are steep. Landlords face fines of up to €40,000 (£34,700) and the government has employed a group of inspectors to ensure compliance. There is also an online reporting system for the public to report suspected rule-breakers to the authorities.

Nearly a third of tourists visiting Spain opt to stay in short-term rentals. The number of homes listed for holiday rentals in May dropped 6% from the previous summer to 1.43 million, after regulations were tightened to ease the housing crisis, data from the National Statistics Institute showed.

According to campaign group Affordable Majorca, since 2013, rents in Palma have increased by a whopping 40%.

Approximately 2.3 to 3.6 million British tourists visit Mallorca each year. The UK consistently ranks as the second-largest source of international visitors to the island, making up about 20% to 26% of all tourist traffic, trailing just behind Germany, according to Road Genius.

The decision in Palma de Majorca comes as another holiday island has also cracked down on beach regulations, banning nearly 700 loungers. Authorities imposed the ban on Formentera in the Balearics, effective immediately until 2029. A further 339 parasols have also been ordered to be removed from beaches.

Strictly Come Dancing finalist Amber Davies, who shot to fame when she won Love Island, has hit back at claims that she only went on the ITV2 dating show to try to make it to the West End stage

Amber Davies insisted that she didn’t go on Love Island just to further her stage career. The actress, 29, competed on the ITV2 reality dating show in 2017 and went on to win it alongside then-boyfriend Kem Cetinay.

Before her rise to fame, Amber trained in musical theatre at the Urdang Academy in London and openly spoke of her desire to make it to the West End whilst she was on the show. Following her victory on the programme, she was cast alongside Louise Redknapp in the London production of Dolly Parton musical 9 to 5, and then appeared in a UK tour of Bring It On: The Musical before returning to the West End to star in Back to the Future.

She followed this up with starring roles in Pretty Woman: The Musical and The Great Gatsby before enjoying a star turn on last year’s edition of Strictly Come Dancing, where she made it to the final alongside professional partner Nikita Kuzmin after being roped in at the last minute as a replacement for Dani Dyer.

However, Amber has now insisted she only went on Love Island because she couldn’t find employment elsewhere as she spoke with fellow West End star Jacob Fowler, who got his big break when he won Little Mix: The Search on the BBC in 2019.

Speaking on her Call To Stage podcast, she said: “A lot of people ask me, ‘Oh, did you do that just to get on the West End?’ No, I did it because I couldn’t get a bloody job! I didn’t want to work at a bar and Love Island were giving me a free holiday for six weeks. Luckily [it worked out]!”

Amber can currently be seen starring as Elle Woods in a UK tour of Legally Blonde: The Musical, but the production got off to something of a bumpy start amid various cast illnesses, and the TV star herself was forced to take time away from the part earlier this year.

While she was away, TikTok star Hannah Lowther took over the part but rumours of a “feud” between the two began to emerge, which both actresses quickly quashed, although comparisons of how each of them portrayed Reese Witherspoon’s signature role of a sorority-girl-turned-lawyer role continued to dominate social media.

Following her return to the show after fighting off a chest infection, Amber admitted that while she did sign up to be “in the spotlight” with her TV career, she never expected to receive the amount of online hate she has done over her stage work.

She said: “I know that going on Love Island put me in the spotlight. I didn’t know how much it was going to and I feel so grateful that 10 years on, I was on Strictly, and there’s so many amazing things that have happened to me. I definitely am used to it but I do have to prepare myself.”

“The last thing I do want to speak out about – this has broke my heart in ways that I can’t even possibly imagine. When I was doing Strictly I’d had a meeting with my team and they prepared me for the trolling and the opinions.

“Sometimes the opinions aren’t trolling but the opinions are mean, so it counts as trolling. I think sometimes when people leave mean comments, they forget that they are talking about an actual human being who is just working hard.

“What I wasn’t prepared for was the trolling that was going to come with Elle. I have worked…I am trying to find the words to explain this…I’ve been in this industry, I’ve done lots of jobs and I’ve never experienced trolling within the musical theatre industry as much as I have during this time.”

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German art student Miriam Wiskemann has won a year-long right-of-use agreement for the uninhabited island of Marsten off Sweden’s west coast – but there is a major catch

Starting next Monday, 27-year-old art student Miriam Wiskemann will become the sole guardian of an uninhabited island situated off Sweden’s coastline. The diminutive island of Marsten, measuring just 180 metres by 50 metres, attracts kayakers and paddle boarders throughout the summer season, but for most of the year remains the exclusive territory of a cormorant colony.

The only stipulation is that Miriam must relinquish her title in June 2027. She is among a handful of fortunate winners of a competition organised by Visit Sweden. According to Visit Sweden’s website, the initiative aimed to demonstrate that “true luxury isn’t about excess, but rather about time, space and balance”.

Miriam and four other individuals from across the globe will be granted a year-long right-of-use agreement alongside a travel voucher worth 20,000 Swedish krona – approximately £1,590. The prize doesn’t include permanent residency, as there are no structures on the island.

Miriam, who is pursuing a degree in art, intends to spend some time on Marsten in September, collecting inspiration for her final creative project for her illustration degree. She remarks: “The main prize is actually the journey there.”

Miriam, originally from Dusseldorf in Germany, is currently studying at the Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design. She reveals she aspires to eventually pursue a master’s degree in Sweden’s capital city, Stockholm.

The art student, who has actually lived in Sweden for a year, explained to German news agency dpa: “Sweden just has a more relaxed pace of life that I’ve often found myself missing in Germany. This trip is all I’m going to be thinking about for the rest of this term.”

“I’ll take time to cycle around the island and draw a lot of inspiration from my surroundings,” she said. “Having this luxury of being able to travel there will definitely have a big influence on me.

“The Swedish nature and the stark differences of the seasons have always really inspired me and my art,” she added.

Marsten sits amongst a cluster of islands located roughly four miles from Sweden’s western coastline. With over 267,000 islands dotted along the Swedish shores, a key objective of the competition was to spotlight these hidden gems.

VisitSweden’s “Your Swedish Island” campaign attracted almost 2,500 applications from 100 countries. The other winners hail from Canada, the US, the Netherlands and Switzerland. Each successful applicant will serve as guardian of their own remote island for the coming year.

Love Island have confirmed the first three singletons for the upcoming series, and it’s set to get even hotter this summer with a DJ being thrown into the mix

Love Island is back – and the first singletons have been revealed. These include Robyn, a quantity surveyor and DJ, Lorenzo, a businessman and Mica, a student from Barbados who lives in London.

The series is just days away from starting, with a fresh batch of singletons hoping to find the love of their life in the Majorcan villa during the summer of love and ITV is pulling out all the stops this year. But one thing is certain, one singleton will not be played by any men in the villa.

Liverpudlian Robyn, 21, a quantity surveyor and DJ, says that everybody in the villa will be equal and she’s hoping that nobody will think they’re better than another person. She said of the type of person she doesn’t want to meet: “Someone full of themselves or someone who thinks they’re better than everyone. You’re never better than anyone next to you. Also, people who eat with their mouth open – it’s a no from me.”

But Robyn has her eyes firmly set on one type of man, although she admits she finds personalities attractive too. She’s hoping to meet a man who is “tall, fair, muscles, nice teeth, pretty boy.” A situationship is also off the cards for her. She explained: “Finding love is my only goal. There may be a little bit of drama but I’m going in there for myself so I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do. But I would like to think I’m a girl’s girl and that I handle situations quite well. I’ve got a mature brain.”

Robyn also says she won’t be quick to jump into a relationship; instead, she wants to really get to know her next partner. She explained: “I like to observe first. I wouldn’t say I’m a slow burner, but I like to take in someone’s personality, how they carry themselves, and how they interact with other people. I won’t just rush into something; I have to genuinely like someone. And I’m an absolute star, they’ve got to tick all the boxes before they even have a chance with me.”

And that leads us on to business owner Lorenzo, 28, from Hertfordshire. He admits he’s looking for a blonde girl, but hasn’t ruled out any other hair colours. And he’s partial to dating a “posh girl”. Lorenzo admits he has a “niche” attraction to one part of a woman’s body – her arms.

“I don’t know why,” he said, adding: “It’s really strange! Imagine like a Jessica Alba or an Angelina Jolie kind of arm and neck, I find that very elegant. Very niche, I know!”

And like Robyn, he has no time for ill-mannered people; instead, he prefers high maintenance when it’s “done right”. “If someone is rude with it and not good fun or good vibes, I’d find that quite irritating,” he commented. But unlike Robyn, Lorenzo admits he’s hoping for drama in the villa.

“As long as no one is crying, all is fair in love and war,” he said. Speaking of the competition he’ll be up against, he went on to say: “I’m very much a self-deprecating person, so if I and another guy were interested in the same girl, I’d encourage her to go and speak to him, that’s how I’d navigate the situation. Sometimes it ends up working, reverse psychology!”

Mica, 21, a student from Barbados but living in London, says she’s after a tall man, as she’s quite tall herself. “I like a little bit of a buffer, a bigger guy,” she said, adding that personality is most important when it comes to finding a boyfriend.

One type of person she will not entertain is an “egotistical cringey” man; instead, she wants her boyfriend to be totally obsessed with her. And although she’s looking for love, she also wants drama. She revealed: “Obviously the whole point is finding love and that’s going to be my main goal. I’m not saying I’m going to start drama but if there is drama going on, I would obviously be a little bit nosey and want to know what’s going on.”

And she’s not going to hold back on the quest to find a partner. “If I have my eyes set on someone, obviously I’m going to pursue them,” she disclosed, before adding: “But if they’re not reciprocating that then I’m going to take a step back, have a think, and change directions and think about who else I could explore with.”

Love Island returns Monday 1st June at 9pm on ITV2 and ITVX