She’s one of the most iconic Islanders ever, with fans loving her sassy attitude and her “I’m loyal” catchphrase. And five years on from her own experience, Georgia Steel is loving the new series of Love Island.
Speaking to Closer, Georgia, 24, is quick to praise the producers for this year’s incredible line-up admitting, “It’s easily one of the best yet – they’ve done so well with the casting. I’m loving Tanyel, she’s got a great vibe. I actually really relate to her because I was quite shy in the beginning as well. It took me a while to settle in and I didn’t want to force anything – just like she’s doing.
“And I’m absolutely loving Maya Jama as the new host – she’s fresh, she’s cool, she’s young. She brings a great dynamic to the show – she’s perfect in the role.”
Georgia says, “So far, my favourite couple is Shaqand Tanya – I’m so excited to see what happens with them as the series goes on."
Georgia took the villa by storm in 2018 when she entered the show on day four as a bombshell. She coupled up with Josh Denzel and they seemed loved-up before Josh returned from Casa Amor with Kaz Crossley. Georgia was left heartbroken at the recoupling, but was praised for her brave face and strong attitude.
But Georgia – who also built up a sweet friendship with Dani Dyer on the show – later caused a stir when she denied a kiss with Jack Fowler on a date, insisting she was “loyal”, despite video footage showing the pair locking lips.
And she now says she was probably a bit too young to go on the show, and – with the return of series four bombshell Adam Collard last season – would be open to returning to the villa, with a new attitude.
She says, “I was 19 years old when I went into the villa – I had a young mindset. I’ve grown up a lot since then. I know I wasn’t perfect. If I were to go into the villa now – which I would never say never to – I would be in a completely different headspace.”
Is that a strong hint we're hearing? The last weeks of Love Island do tend to be a bit...dull (the show's rumoured end date is 13 March although this has yet to be confirmed by ITV). Get her in there to spice things up, please.
Since Love Island, Georgia has built up a huge social media presence – with 1.5m followers – launched fashion lines, and starred in other reality TV shows like Celebs Go Dating and Celebrity Coach Trip.
But while she’s had career success, she’s had mixed luck in her love life. After splitting with Islander Sam Bird three months after leaving the villa, she had short-term relationships until she met Ibiza Weekender’s Callum Izzard on Ex On The Beach in 2019. They got engaged later that year, but the pair called it quits in 2020.
Revealing that she’s been single since then, Georgia says she’s been rebuilding her confidence over the last few years, and strongly believes she’ll meet The One when the time is right.
She explains, “I’m not on dating apps or anything because I truly believe that what’s for you won’t pass you by. I love my independence and it would take a special kind of person to come into my life, so I really want to take my time with it.”
Georgia adds that she’s still close pals with Dani – who last month revealed she’s expecting twins with her footballer boyfriend Jarrod Bowen. Georgia says, “It’s so exciting, but definitely came as a shock! I’m so happy for her – she seems so happy and settled.”
This article first appeared on Closer on 4 February 2023 and was updated on 23 February.