The second Love Island 2021 contestant has been confirmed as civil servant Sharon Gaffka.
It comes after MailOnline revealed on Friday that model and luxury events host, Aaron Francis, 24, was the first Islander to be unveiled – with the news also confirmed on Monday.
Talking ahead of entering the famous Majorca villa, Sharon, 25, who is Operations Lead for Department of Transport and beauty queen, joked that she is the most ‘outrageous’ one out of her group of friends.
CONFIRMED: The second Love Island 2021 contestant has been confirmed as civil servant Sharon Gaffka after MailOnline revealed on Friday that model and luxury events host, Aaron Francis, 24, was the first Islander to be unveiled (L-R)
Speaking about her decision to take part, the stunning brunette said: ‘It’s been a bit of a running joke between my friendship group for a while that I should apply, probably because I’m the most outrageous one out of the group.
‘But also because of COVID and the lockdown, I’m the only single one in my friendship group. They’re either married or planning on getting married. I don’t want to be the only one in the group chat that is single anymore!’
Speaking about her work as a civil servant, Sharon continued: ‘I’ve been a civil servant since I was 18. I’ve worked in lots of different departments.
‘I’ve been doing Brexit policy for the last year, I did a stint during the Coronavirus pandemic in the Department of Health so I was helping deliver testing kits and managing the operations. It’s been an intense year!’
‘Outrageous!’: Talking ahead of entering the famous Majorca villa, Sharon, 25, who is Operations Lead for Department of Transport and beauty queen, joked that she is the most ‘outrageous’ one out of her group of friends
Sharon, who won Miss International UK in 2018, also revealed what she is looking for in her future partner, teasing that she wants someone who is taller and ‘quite intellectual’.
She said: ‘I have this thing where if something doesn’t work out with one person, I’ll try and go for the other extreme to see if that works out.
‘I tend to date someone who is taller than me, even though my last long-term partner, he was actually someone who was shorter than me. I’m quite an intellectual person so I want someone who can kind of match that.’
Future partner! Sharon also revealed what she is looking for in her future partner, teasing that she wants someone who is taller and ‘quite intellectual’
The official Love Island Instagram also confirmed the news with a post on Monday morning, writing: ‘Sharon had conquered beauty pageants, worked on government policies and is now ready to take on the villa!’ followed by a heart emoji.
Alongside the announcement, ITV released a series of stunning snaps of Sharon from a photoshoot ahead of the new series.
The Islander wowed in a tiny blue zebra print bikini, which displayed her sensational figure, and also posed in a vibrant pink and orange cut-out swimsuit.
You’ve got an Islander: The official Love Island Instagram also confirmed the news with a post on Monday morning, writing: ‘Sharon had conquered beauty pageants, worked on government policies and is now ready to take on the villa!’ followed by a heart emoji
It comes after MailOnline revealed the first contestant to be officially unveiled by Love Island for this summer’s comeback series on Friday as Aaron.
The news was confirmed by ITV2 on Monday with Aaron revealing he has been single for about ‘six or seven months’ due to the dating world being a ‘little bit off’ during the pandemic.
Talking about his decision to take part, the luxury events host, 24, said: ‘I’ve been single for about six or seven months and the dating world at the moment is a little bit off.
‘Everyone’s wearing masks. You can’t really see anyone which makes dating a lot harder. I do prefer relationships than dating.’
Due to Aaron’s job as a luxury events host, the new Islander said he has worked with royalty before.
Exciting! It comes after MailOnline revealed the first contestant to be officially unveiled by Love Island for this summer’s comeback series on Friday as Aaron
He said: ‘Yeah, Eugenie and Beatrice’s over the summer. I hosted and chatted. It was nice and intimate. Everyone’s chill. In my job you meet a lot of famous people… unless you’re Beyonce, I’m not really interested.’
Teasing his criteria for a future partner, Aaron said: ‘I need someone that is passionate about what they are doing – from scientist to anything – you can tell when someone is speaking about something and they are actually smiling while they are talking.
‘I love that. I don’t like when people are doing a job just to make money and then they kind of just live for the weekend. Especially because I work on the weekends.’
The 24-year-old Londoner is part of the first bunch of Islanders to feature in the 2021 show to be aired on June 28 and has been described as a ‘sexy ladies’ man with a caring side’.
Yay! The news was confirmed by ITV2 on Monday with Aaron revealing he has been single for about ‘six or seven months’ due to the dating world being a ‘little bit off’ during the pandemic
Aaron, who is also a luxury events host, has no real social media profile – unlike recent Islanders – having just over 2,600 followers on his Instagram, which is littered with shirtless pictures.
A Love Island source told MailOnline: ‘Aaron has no real claim to fame, he’s just a normal guy. However, his job does mean he sometimes moves in glamorous circles and he gets lots of attention.
‘Bosses think he’ll be a real hit in the house with the girls and also get on with the guys.’
Aaron will have to quarantine when he reaches Majorca, as will all cast and crew, to comply with Covid-19 safety measures.
The pandemic resulted in last year’s summer series being postponed and fans are eagerly awaiting the new series following the ITV2 juggernaut’s extended break.
It’s rumoured the British series may experience a crossover with its US counterpart, as both are being filmed at the same time, but bosses have yet to confirm the audacious move to ensure plot surprises are kept under-wraps.
Each confirmed contestant will be given thorough psychological and medical assessments by health experts before, during and after the series as part of the show’s duty of care protocols.
And every Islander must fully disclose their medical history to ensure the environment of the villa is suitable.
The 2021 summer series will be hosted by Laura Whitmore who featured in the show’s big teaser advert last week.
The hit ITV2 dating show has not aired since February 2020 after both the summer 2020 and winter 2021 editions were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Love Island returns on Monday June 28 at 9pm on ITV2 and the ITVHub.
Ladies man? A Love Island source told MailOnline that although ‘Aaron has no real claim to fame’ his job means he ‘sometimes moves in glamorous circles and he gets lots of attention’, adding that they think he’ll be a ‘hit’ in the villa