Get to know the Welsh singletons looking for love in the Love Island villa

With summer fast approaching it can only mean one thing: a new series of the ITV2 dating show, Love Island.

A group of young singles will enter the villa in Majorca, Spain, in the hopes of finding love.

Among the candidates are two Welsh singletons, Nicole Samuel, 24, and Ciaran Davies, 21.

An accounts manager from Aberdare, Nicole Samuel will be hoping to find her match in the Spanish sun.

"My personality is big and I’m pretty out there", Nicole told ITV.

"I reckon I’ll probably have one of the biggest personalities in the villa."

The Rhondda-based contestant also revealed she'd become a world champion dancer in 2011.

"Not many people know that. I was a professional street dancer", Nicole said.

Ciaran Davies, a surveyor from Pencoed, will also join the group for a summer of romance.

Describing the opportunity as "the perfect time" to appear on the show, the 21 year old said:

"I feel like I’m mature enough for something serious with the right girl."

"Obviously looks but humour is a big thing for me, I’m a bit of a wind up so I want a girl who can give it back."

"Loyalty is another one for me, I think that’s the most important thing to look for in a relationship."

Love Island has welcomed a swathe of Welsh candidates since its launch in 2015.

Perhaps the best known is Carmarthenshire-born Dr Alex George, who first appeared on viewers' screens during the dating show's fourth season in 2018.

He has since gone on to be an active advocate for mental health while continuing his career in medicine.

The 2021 season saw Merthyr Tydfil's own Liam Reardon win the competition alongside Millie Court. The pair were amongst the first contestants to enter the villa and hit it off straight away.

But you have to go back to 2017 for Love Island's first Welsh winner - when Amber Davies from Denbigh clinched the title with Kem Cetinay.

Sadly, their relationship didn't stand the test of time, with the pair splitting up the following December.

But what lies in wait for the two Welsh contenders this year?

The waiting is nearly over.

Love Island returns to screens on Monday June 3 at 9pm.

The first episode will be simulcast across ITV1, ITV2, ITVX and STV.