Years before Chris Hughes started dating Celebrity Big Brother UK castmate JoJo Siwa, he was a finalist on Love Island.
Chris was 24 years old when he appeared as a bombshell on the third season of Love Island UK, which aired on ITV starting in June 2017. (Fans can now rewatch the episodes via Hulu.)
“I’m open-minded,” Chris, who worked on his family’s farm before joining the show, said during his first night in the Spanish villa. “There are two sides to me. There’s Funny Chris and then there’s, like, Really Funny Chris.”
Chris’ humor came out right away when he jokingly proclaimed to be “more” attractive than David Beckham.
Hughes also wasted no time impressing the girls, going on dates with Camilla Thurlow, Montana Brown and Chloe Crowhurst before eventually honing his sights on Olivia Attwood. The TV presenter and Olivia, despite a bumpy road, ended season 3 in an exclusive relationship and finished in third place. They ultimately broke up one year later.
Olivia eventually settled down with now-husband Bradley Dack, while Chris briefly dated Little Mix alum Jesy Nelson in 2019 before connecting with Siwa.
“It’s a beautiful journey. I don’t know how the universe [aligned] for Chris to come into my life,” JoJo gushed on the “Rosebud” podcast in June 2025. “I wasn’t looking to fall for him. He wasn’t looking to fall for me. We were just having so much fun together. … Over a little bit of time, I realized that I started to feel something for Christopher that I never intended to, but I couldn’t not feel.”
Revisit Chris’ best moments from the Love Island villa:
Lifting the Mood With Raps
One of Chris’ costars was Marcel Somerville, who was previously in British rap group Blazin’ Squad. Upon his musical reveal to the cast, Chris and Kem Cetinay also shared that they could rap. Chris and Kem subsequently never missed a moment to spit some impromptu bars, whether during a talent show, at Casa Amor or mid-argument.
“Do you want me to rap anyone, lift the mood a bit?” Chris infamously quipped after a bombshell recoupling that forced Kem and then-girlfriend Amber Davies apart with newcomer Georgia Harrison’s arrival.
After leaving the villa, Chris and Kem also released a full version of their onscreen “Little Bit Leave It” rap with an accompanying music video.
Ups and Downs With Olivia
Chris and Olivia’s Love Island romance went through the ringer.
“You’ve got a great rig and your face is stunning,” Chris said, apologizing. “I thought a rig was a body, like, you’re stunning and them freckles never go amiss. I look at those freckles every day, and I see a new one and it becomes my friend. So, they’re all friends of mine. I believe that you are you, and I love you for exactly who you are.”
Of course, Chris and Olivia’s journey was far from smooth sailing, riddled with multiple fights, breakups and reconciliations. During one of their fights in the cast’s communal bedroom, Chris urged Olivia to “sit back down” next to him on the bed.
Olivia, meanwhile, had yet to stand up and retorted, “I’m sat.” (The exchange has gone viral on TikTok.)
The Most Iconic Bromance in ‘Love Island’ History
While Chris and Olivia made viewers swoon, they were just as invested in his budding friendship with Kem. In addition to raps, the pals and costar Dom Lever frequently coordinated outfits. One night, all three men wore matching olive T-shirts with white skinny jeans and posed in a daybed together.
After leaving the island, Chris and Kem, meanwhile, went on to appear on ITV’s You vs. Chris and Kem spinoff later in 2017 and the U.K.’s celebrity version of Hunted in 2018.
“I’m not like this with my other mates,” Chris had told The Times of London in 2017. “Kem just gets me more.”
According to Kem, they just have a “strong connection.”
“I feel really strongly about guys being open about their feelings,” the hairstylist added. “I think that’s what makes me and Chris so unique. A lot of boys relate to us — we’re so open, so sensitive, we have that side to us, and I think that’s what gives us that diversity.”
Introducing Cash Hughes — Yes, You Read That Correctly
During the season’s fan-favorite baby challenge, Chris and Olivia looked after a baby doll that they named Cash “after [their] favorite thing.” They later laughed that the doll’s moniker was pronounced the same as a cashew nut.
Throughout their parenting challenge, Chris went above and beyond to watch out for little Cash. He changed pretend diapers, applied sunscreen, made sure to put a hat on him when they were in the sun — and even cried a bit.
“Why am I getting crying?” he quipped to Olivia, wiping away tears. “It’s because I care about the baby. Oh, my God, what has gotten into me?”
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