ITV Love Island viewers stunned by Joey Essex 'lookalike' as he becomes first celebrity bombshell

Love Island viewers were left stunned by Joey Essex for the same reason - and not just for his entrance into the villa. The former The Only Way is Essex star was part of a surprise twist during the ITV dating show's 2024 series opener on Monday night (June 3).

Viewers tuned in to watch a bunch of new singles head into the Spanish villa for what they hope will be a summer of love. After making their entrances, hosts Maya Jama arrived and told the new islanders: "First impressions count. Boys and girls, I now want you to rate each other in order of who you think has come across the most like boyfriend and girlfriend material, right down to who has given the least relationship vibes."

She then revealed the rankings would mean who they were paired with. The couples were soon revealed to include: Mimii Ngulube, 24, a mental health nurse from Portsmouth, and Munveer Jabbal, 30, a recruitment manager from Surbiton; and Nicole Samuel, 24, an accounts manager from Aberdare, and Sean Stone, 24, a salesman from Hertford.

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Other partners were: Samantha Kenny, 26, a make-up artist from Liverpool, and Sam Taylor, 23, a hairstylist from Chesterfield; Harriett Blackmore, 24, a dancer and personal shopper from Brighton, and Ciaran Davies, 21, a surveyor from Pencoed, South Wales; and Jess White, 25, a retail manager from Stockport, and semi-professional footballer Ronnie Vint, 27, from London.

Meanwhile, Ayo Odukoya, 25, a model from Canning Town, and Patsy Field, 29, an office administrator from Orpington, were also joined together.

But later, Maya made another appearance, dazzling in a white frock, and told the contestants: "Well it’s good to see you’re all settled in, as you know you are in Love Island, you must always expect the unexpected.... So please welcome Joey," with the reality star then making his unexpected arrival.

And Love Island fans were quick, as ever, to jump on social media and have their say and while many were surprised to see Joey, who has appeared on similar shows including I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, Celebrity SAS: Who Dares and Dancing on Ice, they were also stunned by his new look as he now sports a shaved head.

@iknowimthatgirl said: "Nah because I had to look multiple times like JOEY ESSEX!? #loveIsland." @tamerawallwork_ commented: "No the way I just sat there thinking 'wow doesn’t he really look like someone' … 'that’s it he looks like Ron off the other love island who was with Lana' … ITS F***ING JOEY ESSEX."

@Here4thetweets_ asked: "Is this really Joey Essex or a lookalike. It looks like him but not quite #loveIsland." @jamaencole wrote: "Surely that’s not Joey Essex, he looks and sounds well different #loveisland @PosUncensored added: "I'm sorry BUT I didn't even recognize Joey Essex....he looks much better with a shaved head whoever did this had a vision #loveIsland."