14 January 2024 , 20:00
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Love Island's Mitchel Taylor admits he may have already found the one.
The gas engineer, 27, will make his debut in the South Africa villa tomorrow but while he's on the hunt for love, it may have already happened. Along with a string of Love Island stars, Mitchel is hoping to find "the one" the second time around. Viewers will see the likes of Georgia Harrison, Jake Cornish, Hannah Elizabeth and Demi Jones put their knowledge of the programme to good use.
While many have questioned an All Stars series, ITV bosses have promised it's going to be explosive and have vetted each Islander to discover who wants love and those who want fame. Speaking exclusively to the Mirror, Mitchel admits that he already has his sights set on one girl.
Sheffield-born Mitch Taylor has a hidden connection to an All Star co-star (ITV)He told me: "I met one girl in Manchester in November, called Demi Jones, I didn't watch her series, we had a five-minute conversation and there were a bit of a decent vibe there. But the conversation ended because Ella (Barnes) was with Demi that night. Ever since then it's kind of stuck in the back of my head.
"But I've never really approached anyone or anything like that, I've just never gotten round to it." But, the Sheffield-born Islander admits one previous star slid into his DMs – but he managed to forget them. He told me: "An Islander from years ago did slide into my DMs but I don't remember their name. We only spoke briefly. I've spoken to Lydia (Karakyriakou) from series nine.
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He, along with a string of other famous Islanders will be hoping to find love in South Africa (ITV)"Nothing came from that, nothing ever happened. Mainly just guy Islanders, the other seasons, I see them on nights out and I get on with them." Although he openly admits to only having seen a handful of episodes of Love Island before entering the show, Mitch believes he has an advantage over his co-stars this time around.
"I'm prepared now," he said, before adding: "I think if anything I've got a bit of advantage to know how it works now compared to I'm assuming the other Islanders that might have been on earlier seasons." But if things don't work out with Demi, Mitch admits he has a thing for Georgia Harrison and admits her loyalty is a green flag for him.
Since leaving the Majorca villa seven months ago, Mitchel has been surrounded by a string of claims about his behaviour – all of which he denies. Now, he's hoping to change the perception people may have of him. But this time around, he says his guard will be up after being hurt by Molly Marsh.
Mitch previously dated Ella Barnes (David Fisher/REX/Shutterstock for PrettyLittleThing)
He admits having a 'vibe' with series six star, Demi Jones (ITV)He explained: "I was being myself my personality but getting to know girls, I wasn't being full force, my main personality type. This time, hopefully, I come across a bit nicer and can control my emotions a bit more. I do wear my heart on my sleeve and that can get me into trouble. I think to try and be a bit more composed, try and enjoy living in the moment."
But while rumours about an All Stars series and line-up started to swirl, Mitchel had no idea he was actually taking part. He revealed that he had only met with executives once in October and November. He says he didn't receive a call until just a number of weeks ago to confirm his appearance.
His view was "if it happens, it happens," as he had a complete change of heart and was going to return to his day job this year. "I'd put that on hold, if I was going on this," he said before adding: "If I weren't going on this, I'd set my business back up. I were a bit like waiting for an answer but if they say yes, I'm flying out as soon as I can."
While he may have been in the villa this summer, Mitch was also set to appear in the South Africa series too. But after spending two weeks on the continent, he was flown back to the UK without entering the villa. "I got sent home and it was just the pure embarrassment of I didn't get picked," he explained.
However, Mitch only told his closest friends and family about his All Star's appearance over the Christmas period, despite heading out with his pals to enjoy the break. "They're not gonna say anything they know this is kind of my career to a certain degree," he explained. "It's more of a shock factor for people I haven't told, have seen me go on so I kind of wanted that."
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