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Ella Thomas reveals how she secretly checked her Instagram followers in Love Island

25 December 2023, 20:00

Ella Thomas on Love Island, boyfriend Tyrique Hyde, meeting Digga D & more 💫

By Anna Suffolk

Love Island's Ella Thomas spoke exclusively to Capital XTRA about her villa experiences and shared how she knew she's become a Love Island favourite!

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Love Island’s Ella Thomas has revealed the clever way she checked her Instagram following whilst in the villa.

The model and influencer spoke exclusively to Capital XTRA’s Omah Howard as part of Capital XTRA’s Christmas with Ella Thomas to talk about her Love Island experience, Christmas faves and more.

In the special, Ella revealed how she found out how many Instagram followers she had gained WHILST in the Love Island Villa.

Ella Thomas joined Omah Howard for a very special show.
Ella Thomas joined Omah Howard for a very special show. Picture: Client

Speaking to Omah Howard, the Scottish native said: “You know when we’d go outside the villa for a date or a journey, that was the only time we’d be able to listen to music.”

Towards the end of 2022’s Love Island, Ella and fellow contestant Whitney Adebayo had a falling out after Whitney called Ella ‘selfish’, and the pair were made to rekindle their friendship in an afternoon tea experience outside of the main villa.

In order to get to the venue, the pair were transported in separate taxis, however as it was a last minute outing, they were without a chaperone.

Ella Thomas/
Ella is in a relationship with fellow islander Tyrqiue Hyde. . Picture: ITV

“The driver let me use their phone, there was nobody looking after me, [and] there was no producer,” Ella revealed.

After choosing some Afrobeats to accompany her journey, Ella quipped that it was “seven weeks” in to the ITV2 show; “let me see what my Instagram is saying.”

Before her time in the Love Island villa, Ella had 13.2k followers, and her Instagram following has now leapt up to nearly a million.

Ella shot to fame as part of the 2023 Love Island cast.
Ella shot to fame as part of the 2023 Love Island cast. Picture: Getty

However, Ella didn’t just check her followers, she also discovered that her boyfriend Tyrique Hyde’s following had significantly increased, as well as her other villa castmates.

“I went back to Ty and I said you’ve got this many,” Ella said to co-host Omah Howard.

Make sure you listen back to Capital XTRA's Christmas with Ella Thomas on Global Player.

> To hear more exclusive Love Island gossip and listen to the freshest music, Catch Up on Capital XTRA’s Christmas with Ella Thomas on Global Player

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