Nepotism Island! From the daughter of a footballing legend to the son of a boyband star - the celebrity offspring who have appeared on Love Island as contestant whose dad introduced him to David Beckham enters the villa

Daily Mail​

5 hours ago

A Love Island contestant with a famous father and celebrity connections will be entering the villa when the ITV2 series begins next week.
The show, which has now had a long line of celebrity offspring appear, has acted as a platform for the children of famous faces to make their own way in showbiz.
Notable names over the years include Danny Dyer 's daughter Dani, Michael Owen 's daughter Gemma and Ronan Keating's son Jack.
And now, the son of former professional footballer Gifton Noel-Williams, Dejon, will be the latest nepo baby to appear on the reality dating show.
Following in his father's talented footsteps, Dejon is a semi-professional footballer which he does alongside his job as a personal trainer.
Gifton is a football manager and former footballer and has previously introduced his son to all sorts of famous connections.
Dejon revealed that one of the biggest names he has met through his father is none other than David Beckham.
Speaking on growing up around the game, he said: 'I've met all kinds of famous people through him.
'When I was younger it was weird because he was just my dad, but we'd go to a game and fans were asking for photos. I've met David Beckham, he was really nice.'
Dejon, from London, boasts 11,000 followers on social media thanks in part to his regular shirtless gyn snaps.
His bio reads: 'I go beyond the gym—helping you build Strength, Confidence & Discipline for life.'
In 2021, he represented the Grenada national football team.
Dejon is looking for: 'Someone who is beautiful on the inside and out, looks after themselves and is healthy.'
Dani Dyer
Dani Dyer's stint on the show came in 2018, when she won the fourth series of Love Island alongside her then-boyfriend Jack Fincham.
Nepo baby Dani was already known before her time on the show due to her actor dad Danny, who is best known for his roles on EastEnders, Rivals and Football Factory.
Dani, who recently married footballer Jarrod Bowen, has worked on several projects since her memorable appearance on the series.
Shortly after leaving the show, she signed a £500,000 deal to design her own range for In The Style, becoming a celebrity ambassador for the brand.
She also began appearing as a guest reporter on The One Show in 2019, and the following year she launched a range of lip products with Vaseline.
Dani Dyer's successful TV career, including her time on Love Island and subsequent projects, is seen by some as a result of her father's influence.
The mother of three also appeared in an advert for Surf washing products and coined the earworm 'perf with Surf'.
She now co-hosts a popular podcast with her dad, Sorted With The Dyers.
Following the breakdown of her relationship with her co-star Jack, she began dating conman Sammy Kimmence, who she welcomed son Santiago with.
In 2021 he was jailed for defrauding two pensioners out of nearly £34,000.
Gemma Owen
The daughter of Liverpool footballing legend Gemma, 22, appeared on the show during series eight of the programme in 2022 when she was 19 years old.
Gemma, who has largely shunned the spotlight since her time on TV, signed a six-figure deal with fast fashion retailer PrettyLittleThing after the villa.
The brand, who had worked closely with Love Island success story Molly-Mae Hague, signed Gemma with hopes of her being the face of the brand in a year-long partnership.
At the time, Gemma claimed it was a 'dream come true', however she has since moved away from promoting fashion fashion to focus on her equestrian career.
Gemma is an international dressage rider who has represented Great Britain in competitions worldwide.
She began her dressage career at age eight and has competed at the European Junior Riders Championship, British U21 Championships, and Prix St Georges level.
In 2023, she tragically lost her horse, Sirius Black III, and recently revealed she plans to compete at international level again soon on her horse, Ronnie.
While on the show Gemma was paired up with Luca Bish, who later become her boyfriend before splitting months later. She is now dating show jumper Red Morgan.
Jack Keating
In the same year, Ronan Keating's son Jack also joined the show during the Casa Amor segment of the series.
Jack, who was 23 when he appeared, was among the six new boys to arrive.
At the time, Ronan admitted he had been 's****ing himself' waiting for Jack to enter Casa Amor, but is 'so proud of him'.
Jesting to the crowd not to switch to the TV just yet, he continued: 'I don't want you all leaving the gig now to go home and watch it, stay until the end and then you can watch it on iPlayer or what'd you call it, ITV Player.'
Ronan went on to admit that he has been 's****ing myself' because he couldn't tell anyone, sharing: 'Can we talk about it please? Because I don't know how I feel.'
'I'm very excited, he's gonna be amazing. He's such a sweetheart and has got the biggest heart in the world and I'm so proud of him. And off he goes, this is his adventure, it's all about him and i'm just going to sit back and watch Love Island every night!' explained Ronan.
Prior to entering the villa, Jack, who is from Dublin but lives in London, said that his father is 'buzzing' that he is entering the famous Love Island villa.
'My dad is a singer, Ronan Keating. He will be watching when I'm on it for sure,' he said.
In March earlier this year, it was revealed Jack had split from his new girlfriend just months after going official with the romance.
It is the latest romantic mishap for the Love Island star, 26, who also failed to find love when he entered the villa back in 2022.
He announced his new relationship with midwife Abby Phillips at the end of last year.
But he has removed all trace of his latest girlfriend from his Instagram account, where he had shared how proud he was of his beau for graduating.
The pair have also unfollowed each other on the app.
Jack, a father of one, confirmed the news that he was recently single and said he is already dating again but 'taking it slow'.
Jack's revelation that he is back on the market comes after he explained how he met Abby earlier this year.
He told Evoke: 'I had a girlfriend and she had a boyfriend for a while, so we kind of just kept up-to-date with each other and then I became single, she became single.
'I saw her on Hinge and I was like 'right, let me slide into those DMs there.''
He told Goss.ie: 'I was actually on a date last night – went pretty well.
'I'm doing the rounds. Back in. Taking it slow though. Very slow.'
But while Jack's dating life appears to be having its ups and downs, he said that he is loving life as a dad.
He added: 'Dad life as well. My daughter Maya turned two – So yeah, amazing.'
Jack's former partner, Keely Iqbal, discovered that she was expecting while he was in the Love Island villa.
Claudia Fogarty
Other memorable contestants who arrived on the show with celebrity familial links included Carl Fogarty's daughter Claudia and Tamer Hassan's daughter Belle.
Claudia was a contestant on the winter series of Love Island in 2023. She made her memorable entrance during the heart-rate challenge on day 23.
Claudia found romance with Casey O'Gorman, who has since appeared on the show twice more, but their short-lived fling ended in the villa.
She is now happily dating Ollie Crankshaw, who she is expecting a baby with.
The star, 30, took to her Instagram page to reveal she is expecting her first child - a baby girl, with Ollie, who she went public with in September 2023.
She penned in a caption as the pair showed off their scan: 'Half of me half of you. We can't wait to meet you. Baby Crankshaw coming November 25.'
It was also recently revealed that nearly two years after her stint on the popular show, Claudia is swapping her reality TV roots for a new career in the fitness industry.
Claudia has embarked on a new journey as a Kore Reformer Pilates instructor, having recently gained her fitness qualifications, and took to Instagram to share the news with her followers.
Sharing several stunning snaps of herself in a fitted black activewear set while teaching a full class, Claudia wrote: 'In my Pilates girl era… I have started a Pilates page where I'm going to put all my reformer content on.
'I would love for you guys to give me a follow and come with me on my Pilates journey.
'I'll be sharing lots and happy to chat to anyone who wants to come to classes or book in with me for a 1:1.
She concluded: 'So excited for this new chapter and to see where it takes me (love heart emoji)'
On her Instagram story, she reposted the announcement, writing: 'Just me finding a new path in life. Loving this new journey already.
'So much to look forward to and share with you all. I've got a feeling this year is going to be a good year (love heart emoji).'
She also posted her class schedule, which includes sessions from early morning to late evening, urging followers to book quickly as 'spaces are filling up fast.'
Following in the footsteps of her mother, Michelle, a fitness coach, Claudia is now making her own mark in the wellness space.
Before this career shift, she co-ran the clothing boutique Sister Stories with her sister, Danielle Fogarty.
Belle Hassan
Tamer's daughter Belle Hassan appeared on Love Island during its fifth season. Specifically, she entered the villa during the Casa Amor episode.
Belle appeared on Love Island's 2019 series where she had a romance with Anton Danyluk.
However, their union did not last outside of the villa, with the pair splitting after just five weeks of dating after the show ended.
She then had a brief romance with Absolutely Ascot star Rudi Hewitt.
In 2023 she admitted that she was afraid to go out after she was left with a black eye in a brutal attack the December before, insisting 'people do want to hurt you physically or verbally' following her appearance on Love Island.
The reality personality who competed on the 2019 series, was 'hit in the face and abused' while on an evening out and she said she's come to expect a hostile reaction from some people while out in public.
Speaking to Johnny Seifert on Secure The Insecure podcast, she explained: 'Situations like that happen a lot to influencers on nights out and you know you get people coming up to you saying, 'You think you are something because you were on the telly,' And, I am like, no I don't.
'I try to be nice to everyone and sometimes, in certain situations, you are only human, you do get into an argument and people do want to hurt you physically or verbally and they do want to be nasty to you, and I can only put that down to what people are going through in their own lives, and unfortunately they are unhappy.
'We have all been in a bad mental state and we have all been unhappy. But that is not an excuse to hurt someone physically or verbally.
'That is for them to work out on their self love journey why they are doing that, not for me. But hopefully they will get that sorted.'
The screen star said she was scared at first to go out in public and returned to the scene of the incident in a bid to overcome her fears.
She added: 'But, I am all good. I was a little bit nervous after going out again.
'So you know what I thought. I am going to go back to the same place and conquer the fear and I did it and I was okay.'
Since appearing on Love Island, Belle has moved to Edinburgh and opened a beauty salon, moving away from the showbiz industry.
She has mostly recently been publicly romantically involved with rugby player Luke Crosbie, who she announced she had split from.
In February, Belle shared a heartbreaking post about suffering from 'emotional abuse'.
She said she was at the 'lowest point in her life' and is struggling to get out of bed in the mornings. Belle did not name the person she claimed was causing her the emotional abuse.
She was last known to be dating Luke, with them sharing loved-up snaps together last year. The star has now mysteriously deleted all of the snaps of them together and they no longer follow each other on socials.
Tommy Fury
While he is the son of ex-professional boxer John Fury, Tommy's best known relative is boxing legend Tyson Fury - who has held multiple world heavyweight championships.
When he appeared on the fifth series of the programme in 2019, he was billed as the champion boxer's handsome younger brother.
Speaking about his brother in his pre-show interview, he said: 'I'm my own man and I've said it throughout my whole boxing career.
'I don't want to be labelled as his little brother, I'm my own man and I'm doing the best that I can do in life and that's all I'm setting out to achieve.'
Now a household name himself, Tommy has enjoyed incredible success since the show, both in his professional and private life.
He has released clothing edits, secured modelling deals and also resurrected his boxing career. Most recently beating Kenan Hanjalic after 18 months off.
During his series, Tommy finished in second place alongside Molly-Mae Hague, with the couple still together all these years later.
Tommy proposed to Molly Mae in 2023 months after the couple welcomed their first child, a daughter named Bambi together, in January.
But the couple shocked the showbiz world last summer when Molly Mae released a statement announcing they had decided to split.
She shared the post on Instagram last August after five years together, with many suspecting he had been unfaithful.
In a statement posted to her 8.5million Instagram followers, Molly confirmed the breakup, saying: 'I never imagined our story would end, especially not this way.'
Tommy denied continued speculation about him cheating during a magazine interview, insisting any reports about him being with other women were 'complete and utter b*****ks.'
Tommy said the reason he and Molly ended their romance was down to his excessive drinking.
The aftermath of he break-up was documented in first installment of Molly-Mae's fly on the wall show, Molly-Mae: Behind It All.
The couple have since confirmed they are giving things another go, while Tommy is also set to film his own show.
Antigoni Buxton
Before appearing on the eighth series of the show, Antigoni, 29, was no stranger to the world of television due to her celebrity chef mother Tonia Buxton. Tonia is a regular guest on Sunday Brunch.
Antigoni's mother shared her excitement at her daughter entering the villa at the time: 'I can not believe that my @antigoni is in the Love Island Villa, she mentioned she would be sunbathing this week I didn't think she meant in Mallorca!'
She added: 'We are all so excited for you and know you will be amazing! You have always been an island girl, so I know you will fit right in!
Antigoni had a blossoming singing career ahead of her villa arrival - which was described as a mix of 'hip hop with UK beats and Greek/Middle Eastern elements'.
Just weeks before entering the show she released a single called Hit List.
In the villa she first coupled up with Davide Sanclimenti before ending up in a friendship couple with Charlie Radnedge.
Although she didn't have the most successful time on Love Island, the singer-songwriter has thrived since she left.
Appearing on the ITV2 show did give her singing career a boost, and in her single – titled You Can Have Him – Antigoni vents about a rival love interest 'taking her man'.
While Antigoni insists the song isn't about any of her fellow Islanders (despite previously throwing shade at 'dishonest' Ekin-Su for picking Davide), she revealed she was inspired by a conversation with Love Island producers.
Speaking on the Bangin' With Chloe Veitch podcast, Antigoni told the Too Hot to Handle star, 'As far as I know, no one's taken my man yet. Or ever. Touch wood.
'What inspired that song was… I got approached to go on Love Island early this year and I was in the process of deciding whether to do it and I had some Zoom calls with the producers. One of the producers was like to me, 'What would you do if somebody came in and you were coupled up with someone and one of the new girls wanted your man?'
Although she didn't have the most successful time on Love Island, the singer-songwriter has thrived since she left
'I was like, 'Well, if you can take him you can have him' and it's like something that my dad's always said. No matter how much you want to be with somebody, you can't force someone to be with you. If somebody can take that person from you, it means they weren't meant for you.'
Not only has she released her own music but she is also the founder of clothing label Antonia Bronze and has recently announced another fashion based project.
Molly Marsh
Molly, 23, appeared on the show in 2023 and caused a debate at the time due to suggestions her mother helped her gain a spot on the show.
Molly's mum, Janet, has played three different roles on ITV's popular soap Coronation Street including a nurse, receptionist, and ITU nurse.
But Janet slammed the 'narrative' that her theatre performer daughter was only given a place on the show because of her industry connections.
Her first foray onto the cobbles was in 2005, where she played a nurse and she then joined the soap again in March 2008 playing a receptionist at the Scott-Roe Clinic.
A year later, Janet returned to Weatherfield, this time to portray an ITU nurse after character Claire Peacock was rushed to hospital after being found unconscious at home.
Molly, 23, appeared on the show in 2023 and caused a debate at the time due to suggestions her mother helped her gain a spot on the show
Molly's mum, Janet, has played three different roles on ITV's popular soap Coronation Street including a nurse, receptionist, and ITU nurse
Her first foray onto the cobbles was in 2005, where she played a nurse and she then joined the soap again in March 2008 playing a receptionist at the Scott-Roe Clinic
Janet has had quite the TV career, having bagged other credits in shows such as Where The Heart Is, Bodies, In The Dark, Love, Lies and Records.
Since appearing on Love Island, Molly Marsh, where she was coupled with Zach Noble, has launched a music career, releasing her debut single Werewolf.
She has also been working on writing and recording new music in the studio.
In addition to her musical endeavors, she has been building a strong social media presence, regularly posting fun TikTok videos and routines.
Molly and Zach split after seven months together, removing any trace of each other on social media after making the decision to end their romance.
They reunited just weeks later for a holiday to Australia where they rekindled their romance but they have recently been plagued by split rumours again.
Liam Llewellyn
Liam chose to leave series eight after six days and his departure made for uncomfortable viewing as he decided villa life wasn't for him.
He returned home to his mum and dad, the latter being international rugby player David Llewellyn who played in the 1999 World Cup for Wales.
The student was originally coupled up with Gemma Owen and it appeared they had more in common than they thought. They both have famous parents.
Revealing why he decided to leave the show, Liam told MailOnline he couldn't cope with his actions being controlled by producers.
Liam chose to leave series eight after six days and his departure made for uncomfortable viewing as he decided villa life wasn't for him
He returned home to his mum and dad, the latter being international rugby player David Llewellyn who played in the 1999 World Cup for Wales (Liam and dad pictured at graduation)
The Welsh student native said he underestimated how being filmed 24/7 would impact him mentally, knowing his every move was being watched and edited unfavourably.
Liam said: 'I thought I was going to have the summer that everyone dreams of but now I'm living with no regrets, I took a chance but I realised I can't live on TV.
'I was expected to do things for a TV show and I couldn't be myself. I didn't want to do it. It is a TV show and it is produced. It's not all natural.
'In my head I was not in the right position to take part in a TV show because that's what you're doing. You have to go on dates, do challenges, and you're not in control of any of it.
'On my dates they asked me to repeat things because it didn't quite come through.
'I had loads of meetings with the execs, the series editor, and professional physiologists but after a couple of days of feeling the way I did, I made the decision on my own behalf that it wasn't right for me to carry on.'