Love Island’s Ched Uzor: ‘You can’t blame Lucinda for building her brand’

Former Love Islander, Ched Uzor, 23, gives his opinions on the show

love island ched uzor and lucinda strafford

by Ched Uzor |
Updated on

It’s been reported that Love Islander Lucinda Straffordis still dating her ex, Premier League footballer Aaron Connolly. He’s said to be looking after her dog while she’s in the villa, while she’d shared photos of the two of them moving in together.

I don’t know if it’s true, but I think some people definitely go into the villa to build their careers – in Lucinda’s case, her Instagram and fashion brand. We’ve seen so many people go on to be extremely successful after the show, even becoming millionaires.

love island jess gale and ched uzor
Ched with Jess in 2020 ©ITV

It seems Lucinda may be in there building her brand – and I can’t say I blame her! It’s an entertainment TV show at the end of the day, and while some really strong couples have come out of it, like Olivia and Alex Bowen, everyone knows about the opportunities that come from appearing in it.

I actually didn’t want to go into the villa initially – my parents convinced me to go for the experience. That meant I wasn’t really expecting anything so I could be pleasantly surprised by everything that came my way.

‘My advice for Casa Amor newbies is to act fast and go for it’

One of the most exciting parts of the show is Casa Amor – when the boys go to a second villa to be tempted by a new group of girls, while new boys go into the main villa to tempt the girls. It adds more drama because it shows just how strong the couples really are and tends to bring out people’s true colours.

love island faye winters and teddy
Will Teddy stray from Faye? ©ITV

I think this year, the girls seem like they’ll stay loyal, but I think a few of the boys’ heads might turn and there could be heartbreak ahead. I have a feeling Teddy might stray from Faye because she’s quite intense, while Jake might bring back a different girl.

That would be such a shame though, as I think “Jiberty” could have it in the bag if they don’t mess things up! And I think Liberty genuinely likes Jake.

Check out: the rules for inside the Love Island villa

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Love Island: what are the rules? slider

1. Alcohol1 of 10
CREDIT: ITV

1. Alcohol

It is suggested that one of Love Island's main rules is that contestants follow the strict alcohol policy.Eyal Booker from Series four of Love Island exclusively told Closer about the villa's very strict drinks policy.When asked about how much the Islanders were allowed to drink, he told us, "it was very, very limited. Max two glasses of wine a night and that's max!"

2. Eating2 of 10
CREDIT: ITV

2. Eating

According to 2018 Islander Alexandra Cane, one of the Love Island rules insists that contestants food intake is monitored.Viewers are always wondering when the contestants eat as we never see them sit down for meals unless they leave the villa to go on dates. Alexandra Cane revealed to Closer, "We do have to be monitored on what we eat. This is to make sure everyone in the house is eating sufficient amounts of food and no one is going to get ill."So, lunch and dinner times were never shown because we had to eat certain amounts."She added, "Sometimes we would be split up so the girls would sit on their own and the boys would sit on their own to eat food, but it was mainly for monitoring purposes".

3. Smoking3 of 10
CREDIT: ITV

3. Smoking

In the first few seasons of Love Island, smoking was openly seen on camera and the smoking area seemed the most popular hotspot for the best conversations and gossiping. However, the show then faced backlash as it was seen to encourage and glamourise the habit. So in 2018, the ITV2 show introduced strict rules which meant Islanders could only smoke off screen. Smokers now have to ask for a cigarette and enter the designated area one at a time, it's said.The 2018 smoking ban inside the villa grounds seems to have carried on for the fifth series.

4. Health checks4 of 10
CREDIT: ITV

4. Health checks

Love Island Bosses recently revealed that the 2019 cast had to pass mental health checks before entering the villa.This rule comes after the reality show received criticism for its aftercare in the wake of the deaths of former contestants Mike Thalassitis and Sophie Gradon.Niall Aslam, from 2018, left the villa just days into the series and later shared his daily struggles with Asperger's syndrome and mental health. Each Islander now follows a continuous duty of care process which covers pre-filming, filming and aftercare.

5. Fighting5 of 10
CREDIT: ITV

5. Fighting

Kady McDermott recently claimed that she was punched and left with a bleeding nose during her time on Love Island.Kady came third in 2016 alongside her then boyfriend Scott Thomas, but has now admitted her feud with fellow Islander Malia Arkian extended far beyond what was shown on TV.Kady shared an apparent extra insight into the infamous fight as she shared a video of the altercation on her Twitter page.At the time viewers were told that Malia had "shoved" Kady and subsequently been removed from the house.It seems that the no-fighting policy on the ITV2 show is very strict and those who break it, are removed from the villa immediately.

6. Microphones6 of 10
CREDIT: ITV

6. Microphones

We are assuming that Love Island has one quite obvious rule - keep the microphone packs on at all times. The producers like to capture every conversation that takes place on the show and Dani Dyer revealed that while everything on the show is real, some things are tweaked.She told the Capital Breakfast show, "The only direction you have is just on your conversations, so that they space them out a little bit because you can't have like 10 conversations going on at once so they'll be like, 'just wait a little bit longer' or 'leave it 'til the morning'."

8. No nudity7 of 10
CREDIT: ITV

7. No nudity

This rumoured rule has definitely been broken in the past...It's claimed that Love Island's apparent no nudity policy means contestants are not allowed to be fully naked in front of each other or even in the shower, as the villa is a public place.

8. Masturbation8 of 10
CREDIT: ITV

8. Masturbation

One of Love Island's rules apparently includes a ban on solo sex acts.We are assuming that masturbating, along with full nudity, is banned for contestants so others are not made to feel uncomfortable in the villa.According to The Mirror, "Despite islanders being told to get frisky whenever they wish, this must be with a partner. No solo acts are permitted on the premises".However Elma Pazar hinted that all the boys broke this rule in the villa.

9. The Handbook9 of 10
CREDIT: ITV

9. The Handbook

Former Islander of series three, Simon Searles, told The Sunabout Love Island's strict booklet, that is given to each contestant on the show. He told the publication, "They give you a bit of a handbook before and it's in regards to consent, nakedness, condoms, what's right and what's not."You never really get a lot of drink but they do say if someone's had too much to drink do not have sex with them."

sherif lanre10 of 10
CREDIT: ITV

10. Language

Sherif was kicked out of the Love Island villa on day 9 after he play fought with Molly-Mae Hughes and described it as a "c--t punch".However the TV star admitted that it wasn't the first time he was told off for saying something controversial. He explained to The Sun: "There were so many things I was pulled aside on. The first was calling Amber 'lighty,' which I know is a poor choice of words but she did not get offended."He went on to say: "I asked them, 'Can you give me a list of the words I can use?' They said, 'No, but you cannot use that one.'"Arabella Chi also revealed she was told off for saying something deemed controversial.

WATCH: Jordan Hames and Danny Williams on what you CAN'T to take into the villa | Love Island Secrets

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I entered Love Island [in Cape Town for the first winter show in 2020] as one of the Casa Amor crew, then went into the main villa when Jess [Gale] chose to couple up with me. I was nervous, but the girls were all really welcoming, and I got on immediately with Jess.

My experience wasn’t as wild as I thought though, as most of the girls stuck with the boys they were with before. Jess was in a friendship couple, so it was a drama-free situation for me. Jess and I stayed together after the show for a few months, but it got difficult during lockdown, as we couldn’t see each other. We’re still friends and I wish her all the best.

My advice is, if a new boy wants to get with one of the girls in Casa Amor, they have to act fast because there will be a lot of competition. You get one shot in there, and you have to make your mark quickly, so my advice would be to just go for it.

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