Who is Hugo Hammond? Meet the Love Island 2021 contestant who is the show’s first disabled star

Everything you need to know about the Love Island 2021 contestant, Hugo Hammond – PE teacher and ex-England cricketer.

By Daniel Furn

Published: Friday, 23 July 2021 at 12:00 am

Mr Hugo Hammond has really shaken the Love Island table, following his epic recoupling speech which saw Chloe Burrows saved from a brutal dumping after Toby decided to couple up with new girl Abigail.

Hugo told the other islanders the girl he was choosing to couple up with didn’t “deserve the way she’s been treated in the past 24 hours” which caught many – especially Toby – by surprise.

So, what else did Hugo say in this speech? Does that mean he’s into Chloe? And what’s going to happen between him and Toby now?

As the series continues, here’s everything you need to know about Hugo Hammond – one of the Love Island 2021 contestants.

Hugo Hammond – key facts

Age: 24

Job: PE Teacher

From: Hampshire

Instagram: @hugo_hammond

Coupled up with: Chloe Burrows

What did Hugo say in his recoupling speech?

Hugo shocked the villa when he decided to save Chloe at the recoupling. It comes after Chloe’s partner Toby decided to couple up with Abigail, which put the marketing executive, 25, at risk.

It was just left with Hugo to decide who he wanted to save out of Georgia and Chloe, and he decided to go with his pal Chlo as he did’t like the way she’d been treated recently.

He said: “I would like to couple up with this girl because not only is she out of this world beautiful, she’s super intelligent, she’s funny and whenever I’m with her, I’m definitely at my happiest.

“If I’m completely honest, she doesn’t deserve to be treated how she has this past 24 hours and I firmly believe that this test stuff is complete bulls***.  You deserve someone who is honest, that communicates with you, and who knows what could happen? Stranger things have happened. So, the girl I would like to couple up with is… Chloe.”

Is Hugo still on Love Island?

Hugo Hammond is definitely still on Love Island. You might not have heard much from him on the most recent episode, as the focus was mainly on Teddy and his dates, but the PE Teacher is definitely in the villa. And with the boys next to decide who they want to couple up with, Hugo will be choosing which lady to save this week.

Why did Hugo want to take part in Love Island?

Meeting new people has been difficult for all of us with a year of lockdowns and zoom dates, so it seems Hugo entered the villa as an opportunity to meet people and get back onto the dating scene.

“I’ve been single for a while now,” he said before entering the villa. “With the current climate, it’s been really hard to get back into dating. I saw it as an opportunity to have an amazing fun summer and put myself back out there.”

What does Hugo do for work?

Hugo is a secondary-school PE teacher, and he absolutely loves inspiring kids to get into sport. “I love all my sports. It’s great to be able to pass on that enthusiasm to be physically active to the younger generation and hopefully, they feel the same about me teaching them.”

But will the kids be watching? “The younger lot I teach I imagine might not be watching it,” he said. “Then a lot of my seniors that I was working with broke up at half term with the GCSE and BTEC. So, I hadn’t seen them for a few weeks anyway. I’m sure they’re going to be shocked when they do see me on there, for those that do watch it!”

“Hopefully, they’ll support me and they’ll have a laugh with it,” he added.

As for going back to teaching, it sounds like Hugo isn’t throwing his eggs into any particular basket right now. “It’s definitely something I want to stay connected with. I absolutely love my job,” he said. “It was my training year this year, so I’m not affiliated to a specific school for when I go back in September. So I’ll just have to see what happens from this great opportunity, and then go from there.”

Who did Hugo play cricket for?

Hugo has represented his country, playing cricket for England PD (Physical Disability) around the world in places such as Bangladesh and Dubai.

The sporty singleton was born with Congenital Talipes Equino-Varus, which is where a baby has their feet pointed down and inwards at birth.

Speaking about his condition, Hugo said: “I had lots of operations when I was a kid. You can only really tell when I walk barefoot. I’ve got a really short achilles heel. I walk slightly on my tip toes.”

What kind of dater is Hugo?

Hugo’s dating past has been a mix of relationships and playing the field or, as he put it: “I’m a relationship person, with bits and bobs in between.” 

“My past relationship was just over two years long, I’ve had a couple of other relationships in my past but not as serious,” he said. “And I went to university and I had a load of fun there.” 

Hugo says his most recent relationship ended at the start of this year. “Lockdown and distance – put those two together and that’s a combination that wrecks relationships.” 

As for whether he’ll follow in the footsteps of Kem Cetinay and Amber Davies, and Eyal Booker and Megan Barton-Hanson, and have sex on TV, he’s keeping an open mind. 

“It’s something I’ve thought about but I’m not going to say yes, I’m not going to say no, because I don’t know who I’m going to meet,” he said. “I don’t know if I’m going to have that connection with anyone on there… So I guess we’ll have to wait and see.”

What is Hugo looking for in a partner?

The 24-year-old says he’s not into fakery – whether that’s looks or personality – and he’s after someone he can “be myself around”. 

He also can’t stand people who are constantly on their phones, so he may well be in luck in the villa, where contestants are unable to access the internet on their mobiles. 

Most of all, he’s looking for someone that makes him laugh, whose company he enjoys. “I’m looking for someone that I can be myself around and just have a fantastic summer with,” he said. 

Aren’t we all, Hugo?

Want to meet the other Love Island 2021 contestants?

New episodes of Love Island are on ITV2 every night at 9pm, except Saturdays. Episodes are also available to watch on the ITV Hub. For more info check out Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and Facebook. While you’re waiting, check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.