Love island's samie & tyrique: a timeline of secrets & shade
The Instagram couple photos are cute, sure. But the story behind Love Island’s Samie Elishi and Tyrique Hyde’s sudden romance is a tangled web of six-year history, discarded relationships, and a whole lot of public shade. What started as a seemingly straightforward reconnection after Love Island All Stars has exploded into a full-blown scandal, thanks to a candid podcast appearance by Tyrique.
A long time coming: the 2020 connection
Forget the villa; Samie and Tyrique’s connection goes way back. According to Tyrique’s revelations on Joe Baggs’ podcast Not My Bagg, they first met around 2020 at a Boohoo event—he was with Toby Aromolaran, another familiar face from Love Island series seven. “I got her Instagram,” Tyrique admitted, “but nothing came of it at the time.” Six years is a long time to harbor a crush, isn't it?
The villa years: separate paths, lingering interest
Fast forward to 2022, and both were navigating the Love Islandlandscape. Samie placed third on Winter Love Island season nine with Tom Clare, while Tyrique coupled up with Ella Thomas on the summer series. But, the plot thickens. After a rocky on-again, off-again relationship with Ella, Tyrique confessed he'd been thinking about Samie. “Samie Elishi was always in my head,” he stated, a sentiment he publicly echoed last December on Grace Beverly's podcast, Saving Grace, expressing interest in pursuing things with her.
Shooting his shot: flowers & a broken relationship
Following Samie's victory on Love Island All Stars with Ciaran Davies, Tyrique apparently sensed an opportunity. Just days after the finale, and reportedly while Ciaran and Samie were still together, Tyrique sent flowers to Samie’s house—obtained through a mutual friend. Ciaran confirmed this gesture, adding another layer of complexity to the situation. The timeline reveals a calculated move, to say the least.
The breakup & the “game”
The news of Samie and Ciaran's split just three weeks after the finale sent shockwaves through the Love Island fandom. Tyrique claims he immediately reached out to Samie, inquiring about the status of her relationship. Upon confirmation that it was over, he reportedly quipped,