The cracking on has well and truly begun on Love Island.
The ITV2 dating show returned for season 9 on Monday 16th January and saw the show’s new host Maya Jama introducing viewers to the first 10 Love Island 2023 cast members – including 25-year-old make-up artist Lana Jenkins.
So far, we’ve seen lots of shake-ups with the arrivals of new bombshells, as well as the first dumping of the 2023 season as David Salako found himself single during the recoupling.
There’s also been a lot of head turning, with Lana now in a friendship couple with Will Young after Tanyel Revan stole her original partner, Ron Hall.
This week, there’s set to be another dumping after the public were made to vote for their favourite girl and boy, with those with the fewest votes at risk of being dumped from the island.
But will Lana be safe from eviction?
Read on for everything you need to know about Lana Jenkins, including all the details on her celebrity ex.
Makeup artist Lana will be serving ✨glam✨ in the South African sun #LoveIsland pic.twitter.com/OXbouqQhSU
— Love Island (@LoveIsland) January 9, 2023
Here’s everything you need to know about Lana before she starts turning heads in the villa.
Lana Jenkins – key facts
Age: 25
Job: Make-up artist
Instagram: @lanajenkinss
Who is Lana’s ex boyfriend?
![""]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2022/10/Owen-Warner-f901f09.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"\"")
During an episode of the ITV2 dating show, Lana revealed that her ex is Hollyoaks star and I’m a Celebrity 2022 runner-up Owen Warner.
According to Lana, the pair had a “lockdown” relationship.
The 25-year-old made the revelation after taking part in a game of Never Have I Ever, as one of the islanders asked if anyone had dated anyone famous.
Following the game, Ron questioned Lana about her ex, asking: “The actor, who was that?”
“It’s my ex-boyfriend… he’s called Owen Warner,” Lana revealed.
Laughing, Ron continued: “So basically I’m competing with someone who’s just come runner-up on a massive show and who’s an actor and I work in finance, yeah, erm, sick. This is great.”
Prior to entering the villa, Lana revealed that she and Owen went their separate ways two years ago after meeting through mutual friends. She admitted that she wasn’t able to watch Warner while he was in the jungle, as she was still heartbroken.
Also during the game, Zara Deniz Lackenby-Brown recalled a kiss with Olympic champion Usain Bolt, while Tanya Manhenga said she’d had encounters with a footballer and rapper Not3s, and Olivia Hawkins said she’d dated someone in the “athletic field”.
Why did Lana want to take part in Love Island?
![""]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2023/01/lanajenkinsloveisland-2-c079359.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"\"")
Lana is a hopeless romantic who falls head over heels rapidly – which means she’s well-suited to the Love Island villa, where relationships move at hyperspeed.
“I fall in love quickly,” she admits. “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.” Fingers crossed she finds the one on the show.
Is Lana on Instagram?
You can find Lana’s Instagram account over on @lanajenkinss, where at the time of writing she has just over 4,000 followers – although she can surely expect that number to skyrocket when she walks into the villa.
She has previously posted snaps from her jaunts to sunny locations like Tulum in Mexico and the party island of Ibiza, as well as photos showing off her impressive make-up skills (including some spooky Halloween transformations), but don’t expect to receive any updates on her account while she’s on the show.
This season, as part of new duty of care procedures, Love Island contestants won’t be allowed to have an active social media presence while they’re in the villa.
While islanders usually hand over control of their accounts to a friend or family member when they appear on the show, this time they have been asked to stop posting, to protect participants and those close to them from “the adverse effects of social media”.
What is Lana looking for in a partner?
So far, Lana is keeping her cards pretty close to her chest when it comes to describing what she wants from a potential partner – although we’re sure to hear plenty about it once the new season kicks off.
Outside of the villa, though, she’s not impressed when dates try to grab her attention by sending “question marks”.
“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,” she explains. “That’s a really big red flag for me!”
Does she have any more icks? “If I see a guy trip over, that’s an instant turn off.” Clumsy islanders, beware…
Love Island is on ITV2 and ITVX on weekdays and Sundays at 9pm. Previous seasons of Love Island are available on BritBox now – you can sign up for a 7-day free trial here.
If you’re looking for something to watch, check out our TV Guide or Streaming Guide. Visit our Entertainment hub for all the latest news.
Try Radio Times magazine today and get 12 issues for only £1 with delivery to your home – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times View From My Sofa podcast.