Love island drama: tyrique drops bombshell timeline & claims fans picked the 'wrong winner'

The Love Island villa may be a distant memory for its contestants, but the fallout continues. Just days after Samie Elishi and Ciaran Davies’ breakup sent shockwaves through the reality TV landscape, Samie’s former flame, Tyrique Hyde, has dropped a series of revelations about their tangled history during a recent podcast appearance. Forget the idyllic Moroccan getaway photos – Hyde’s account paints a far more complex picture, raising serious questions about the timing of events and the motivations behind them.

A six-year history before the cameras rolled

What began as a seemingly straightforward post-breakup romance has unearthed a surprising backstory. Hyde revealed, during an appearance on Joe Baggs’ podcast, Not My Bagg, that he and Samie have known each other for approximately six years. Their initial encounter occurred at a Boohoo event back in 2020, an event also attended by Hyde’s friend, Toby Aromolaran—a name Love Island fans will recognize from series seven. Hyde secured Samie’s Instagram handle at the time, but nothing concrete materialized.

Fast forward to 2022, and both Hyde and Samie found themselves on separate seasons of Love Island. Samie competed in the Winter edition, reaching third place with Tom Clare, while Hyde appeared on the summer series, ultimately coupling up with Ella Thomas. The connection, it seems, remained dormant until Hyde's split from Thomas earlier this year.

The revival of interest and a public pursuit

According to Hyde, once he became single, his interest in Samie was reignited. “Samie Elishi was always in my head,” he confessed. He publicly expressed his interest in December 2023 on Grace Beverly’s podcast, Saving Grace, stating he’d pursue her if given the chance. He admitted to attempting to woo her around that time, but Samie reportedly dismissed his advances with a blunt, “You’re not serious.”

The timeline takes another twist with the Love Island All Stars reunion. Despite reportedly not speaking prior to the show, Hyde’s feelings for Samie became increasingly apparent during the series, including a comment to Shaq where he declared, “I rate Samie, you know.” This occurred just weeks before Samie and Ciaran secured a significant portion of the public vote to win the competition.

Flowers and a 'shot': the aftermath of victory

Following the All Stars final, Hyde claimed to have heard “murmurs” that Samie and Ciaran’s relationship was struggling. He then took a bold step, sending flowers to Samie’s house – having obtained her address through a mutual friend. Ciaran previously confirmed this gesture occurred while he and Samie were still together, adding another layer of controversy to the situation. The final nail in the coffin came just weeks later with the official announcement of Samie and Ciaran's split.

Now, with the couple’s sun-drenched Moroccan vacation dominating social media, Hyde has been candid about the backlash and accusations of opportunism. He dismissed suggestions of a PR stunt, stating, “Samie’s not even fully liked by the public. If I wanted to do it for clout or PR surely I’d go for someone that I know is very well liked.” He added, with a shrug, that the games are simply