Exclusive
Exclusive: Love Island’s Ope Sawande addresses rumours around his sexuality and relationship with mum
30 June 2026, 11:31 | Updated: 30 June 2026, 11:35
Love Island’s Ope Sawande, who starred on the show alongside cast members Lorenzo Alessi, George Knight & Jasmine Muller, joined us for an exclusive interview on Capital XTRA. He finally put to bed the rumours surrounding his sexuality and family life. Here is what he had to say.
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Love Island UK returned with a stacked cast, including Lorenzo Alessi, Julia Majchrzak, and Kavan Murphy, and dumped Islander Ope Sawande joined us at Capital XTRA to talk all-things his villa experience, as well as addressing the online discourse to do with his sexuality and family.
The bubbly character burst onto screens at the beginning of June, almost immediately taking a tumble on national television.
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Ope’s impact on the show is still felt, as his shock dumping surprised viewers at home, who are already calling for him to re-enter.
But prior to his first appearance, after he was announced as part of the OG cast, several fans speculated about his sexuality.
Ope joined us to share his opinions on this and revealed that he wasn’t actually surprised by the narrative and that he wasn’t affected by the negativity.
He said: “I think we shouldn’t stereotype or assume anyone is anything based on their jobs and theatrics. It doesn’t bother me that people question my sexuality at all because I get it a lot and it’s not deep.”
He added: “But I mean it’s a compliment, because I love the gays. We f***king love the gays…without the gays we would be f***ing boring.”
The iconic character also faced unfair judgment for the pronunciation of his traditionally Nigerian name, viewers claiming he was ‘whitewashing‘ his name.
Ope has since opened up about his parentage and close bond with his mum, who he credits for who he has become today.
Ope said: “My mum is the best person on this earth. She fostered me when I was 3 months old, she raised me, and she’s the reason I am who I am now. She’s my biggest influence.”
He added about his name pronunciation: “Boring! I say my name the way I say it. I say it cause my foster mum calls me it. I understand why people may be upset about it but also it’s my name.”
The 27-year-old has no qualms with his Love Island experience, and was a breath of fresh air that fans will most definitely miss.
