It's here!!

Love Island is returning next week for its ninth season and as we get a glimpse into the winter series for the first time in three years, the first of the islanders have been announced. Love Island returns to our screens on Monday 16th January at 9pm on Virgin Media Two and Virgin Media Player. As the official Instagram will be announcing each of the hopeful romancers throughout the morning, we'll be keeping you up to date on just who is heading to South Africa for the upcoming season. And drum roll please... First up is 22 year old Tanya Manhenga from Liverpool! Currently studying biomedical science and doing some influencer work on the side, Tanya was the first person this year to be rumoured to be heading onto the show and the rumours were completely true. While she has the brains to back her up, Tanya is very easy to look at as she has previously done some modelling on the side (you might recognise her from Boohoo...) Boasting more than 11,000 followers on Instagram, she has already nabbed huge brand deals with the likes of Simmi shoes and Ego footwear, not to mention former islander Indiyah Polack being one of her online pals. So why is she heading into the villa? She said: "I’m looking for a boyfriend and I think being in a Villa with lots of different people will help me work out who it is I may want." Next up is Kai Fagan, a 24 year old Science and PE teacher from Manchester. Speaking about why he's single, the teacher said: "I’m single by choice. I’m looking for the right girl. I feel like I have quite high expectations. I don’t feel I should commit to someone unless I’m absolutely buzzing over them, because it’s not fair on them." Kai's friends and family have described him as "chilled, caring, very impulsive and a good guy," and he's said that they're the people he always puts first and spends the majority of his time with. And one thing we don't know about him yet? He said: "I’m a Jamaican citizen. Because of that I played rugby 7s for Jamaica. I play semi-professional rugby now for Burnage RFC. I’ve technically got three different degrees and went to three different unis." The third person making their way into this year's Love Island villa is 25 year old Lana, a make up artist from Luton. The beauty is set to bring some glam and some drama to the villa as she's a hopeless romantic. When it comes to her ick, she said: "I don’t mind people texting me all the time but if you send me question marks if I’ve not replied to you in a while, you’re gone. That's a really big red flag for me! Also if I see a guy trip over, that's an instant turn off." But when it comes to romance, this is where her downfall is: "I fall in love quickly. I tend to know quite soon if I could fall in love with that person and then, as long as everything is going well, I’ll probably tell them I love them in about a week." Working with a lot of celebrities while doing her job as a make up artist is one thing, but not the craziest thing about Lana as she said: "In my work as a makeup artist I’ve worked with lots of celebrities. Also, when I was 6-years-old I used to live in Spain and I was in an episode of Benidorm as an extra." The next on the list is Essex native Ron Hall who is ready to charm all the girls in the villa and find the one. The 25 year old financial advisor is set to bring some "fun and charisma" to the villa, he said: "I just want to be naturally myself in there, have good times and make memories. I think people will enjoy my company.

"On meeting me, you’d never know I am blind in one eye. It was the result of a football injury when I was 8; I went in for a header and got kicked in the face. I’ve got two different coloured eyes, one blue and one green. It’s added to my character, there are so many people that are worse off than me. And if anything, losing something like that makes you realise that. It’s not hindered me in any shape or form. It’s a good conversation starter I must admit. "

But what makes Ron stand out compared to the other boys in the villa? He said: "I’m the most genuine person you’ll meet. I’m genuine, caring and I’m a nice person - which you don’t find these days."

Next on the list is Welsh wonder Anna-May Robey who is getting ready to chat up the man of her dreams on this year's show. The 20 year old is a payroll administrator from Swansea and is set to really get chatting as the self proclaimed Love Island chatterbox. She said: "I’m always running around singing and screaming. My parents are always like, ‘Shut up!’ I work from home all day so I don’t really speak to people in person for two or three days a week, so when my father comes home, he’ll want to sit down and chill out, and I’m there chewing his ear off! I would definitely say I am a chatterbox. "I want a boyfriend, I want to find someone who makes me laugh. I’ve been single for quite a while, my mother is bugging me, she's like, ‘You need to find a boyfriend.’ I’m just excited to try something new and I think going on Love Island is a good way to meet someone." But this experience can't be as bad as her worst date as she said: "I went on a date once and I never saw him again. We went for food and shared a bottle of wine. As I was speaking to him he fell asleep! I had to clink his wine glass to wake him up." Next in the line up is Will Young, a 23 year old farmer from Buckinghamshire. Hoping that his one true love will crop up (get it?), Will has made a name for himself on TikTok with more than a million followers on the app. Not to be confused with the 2000s singer, he's hoping to find the one, saying: "Having grown up on a farm, it’s been quite difficult juggling relationships and work. Love Island will give me time away from the farm to solely go out and find love. I think I’m at the time of my life where I’m mature enough to go and find a wife." While we may know he's a bit of a softie from the amount of cute animal pictures he posts, he admitted it himself saying: "Every night I light a candle and meditate for 20-25 minutes. A girl I was seeing told me to meditate, I tried it and loved it. I stopped seeing her and carried on meditating! It’s a nice way to self reflect, taking a minute on my day/ week. It’s really nice and sets me up for a nice sleep." And of course, there's only one person who could play him in the movie of his life: "Sir David Attenborough. Imagine hearing his calming voice talking while he’s feeding the animals, his top off, some short shorts… he would rock it." The girls in the villa are absolutely sorted this year as there is not only a make up artist heading in, but also a hairstylist. Hair dresser Tanyel Revan, 26, from North London is hoping for her shot at love and bring a different energy to the table. Describing herself, she said: "Energy, confidence, I’m funny, loud, feisty, charismatic. “I’m hard to get, confident, funny, charismatic, good looking and happy. I’m also a very loyal person, what is there not to love?" Revealing that her celeb crush is Channing Tatum, she explained: “I don’t like pretty boys, they give me the ‘ick’ because they always have a crap personality.

“Channing Tatum is handsome but not too pretty. He’s manly and he can dance. If a man can dance I’m in love with him straight away.”

Clear the runway, our next islander is an airport security officer.

Known as the "talk of the terminal", Shaq Muhammad is touching down in South Africa for his turn in the villa and hoping to find a new connection

The 24 year old from London hasn't had the best of luck when it comes to relationships, and this is his chance to change that.

He said: "I haven’t had the best luck with previous relationships. So I thought, why not be in the sun and potentially meet the love of my life? Hopefully I do come out with my future wife. The person I hope to marry one day. Hopefully she’s in the Villa."

While he doesn't think he falls in love quickly, he admits he wears his heart on his sleeve: "My family and friends would say I do. I’m the type of person that wears my heart on my sleeve. If I find someone I click with, I fall very hard, very fast. Sometimes that can be a bad thing. I’m a very emotional person. It can be a blessing and a curse."

And what's more emotional than his favourite film - Dear John: "Every time I watch Dear John I cry. That’s my favourite film. Any time I’m with someone and they say, ‘Let’s watch a romantic film’, I’m like, ‘How about Dear John, how does that sound?’"

Next up is Olivia Hawkins, a ring girl and actress.

The 27-year-old hails from Brighton, and she already has a pretty impressive claim to fame – she's worked with a number of celebs from Jason Statham to Daniel Craig. She's even been a stand-in for Michelle Keegan and Emma Watson.

As to why she's entering Love Island, Olivia says: "I’m 27 and I’ve never been in a relationship so I feel like now I’m really ready to settle down and hopefully find the love of my life."

She also promises to bring fun, vibes, and perhaps some drama to the South African villa.

The final contestant heading into the villa is 21-year-old Haris Namani.

This TV salesman says he's never found love before and hopes the show will be his "best opportunity" to find love.

"I’m different, I’m a unique guy, the way I act; confident, not awkward, especially with the girls," he says. "I’m friendly, I’m very respectful as well. Anyone who meets me, I don’t think they have anything bad to say about me. I don’t give them that bad impression to say, ‘Oh, I don’t want to speak to him again.’"