Who is Tyrique Hyde? Meet the East Sussex footballer set to take part in Love Island 2023

Tyrique Hyde is among the first group of islanders heading to the villa as the series returns for the summer.

The 24-year-old played for Lewes FC last season as a central midfielder, after joining the team in October 2022.

In his teaser video for ITV, the semi-professional footballer admitted to having commitment issues and said he is ‘a player on and off the pitch’, but also insisted he’s going into the villa to find love.

He added: “But there’s layers to me, you know. I'm a nice guy.

“I’m going into Love Island to look for my first girlfriend, and hopefully my last girlfriend.”

Tyrique comes from rich footballing heritage, with his dad, Micah Hyde, previously playing for Watford in the Premier League and being capped 17 times for the Jamaican national team.

He also explained he is deaf in his right ear, and has a lightning bolt tattoo behind the other which he said stands for ‘strength and power’ in his ‘good one’.

Tyrique already has links to the series through his ‘best friend’ Toby Aromolaran who took part in the seventh season in 2018, with the pair being in the same class at primary school.

The Lewes FC footballer isn’t the only person with links to Sussex who has featured in Love Island. The last series featured Olivia Hawkins, a ring girl from Brighton, and the series before that saw Luca Bish, a Sussex fishmonger, taking part in the dating show.

The newest series of Love Island airs on Monday, June 5 on ITV2.