We go again! The first Islander rumoured for Love Island 2026 is here and she’s Lucinda’s bestie

It might feel as though Love Island All Stars has only just finished, but already the first Islander for Love Island 2026 this summer has been revealed. Are we ready to go again?

This summer, our fav format will be back. Love Island is returning once again, and this time it’ll be regular members of the public becoming Islanders in Mallorca. As it stands, ITV is picking a new cohort of people to enter the show.

According to The Sun, one person who is currently in talks will be very familiar with the show, as she’s best friends with Love Island veteran, Lucinda Strafford. Lucinda has been on Love Island UK, Love Island Australia, Love Island Games and Love Island All Stars most recently, when she left with Sean Stone.

So, now she can’t return to the villa herself, she’s got the next best thing. Her bestie is going in! Influencer Charleen Murphy is in talks. She’s from Dublin, is newly single, and boasts a huge 368k followers on Instagram.

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A post shared by Lucinda (@lucindastrafford)

A source told The Sun: “Charleen split from her boyfriend earlier this year and Lucinda told ITV bosses they should get her on the show. She’s really gorgeous and fun and has a lot of Irish charm – she’s been friends with Lucinda for years so of course Lucinda would put a word in for her!”

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Charleen also knows the ropes a bit, having auditioned for Love Island in 2020, before her last relationship.

“I got through two rounds; there are quite a few, I was flown to England for the auditions, and I just wasn’t chosen,” she told Evoke in 2021. “It is exactly how you would imagine it is, they ask you, ‘What would you do in these situations in the villa, who would you go for, what is your type’ etc. They have a really set idea in their mind each year who they want.”

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A post shared by Charleen Murphy (@charleenmurphy)

Charleen had previously been dating Irish footballer Dano Mandroiu, but in January they broke up after four years together. Now, maybe Lucinda has been prepping her for the villa! We’ll have to wait until June to find out.

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