LATEST UPDATE: ‘PEOPLE DIDN’T SEE WHAT I WAS GOING THROUGH’—LOVE ISLAND STAR SAM WORKMAN REVEALS THE EMOTIONAL BATTLE HIDDEN FROM VIEWERS
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Robyn Langton and Sam Workman in Love Island(Image: ITV/Shutterstock)
A star of this year’s Love Island series has opened up on the unseen struggles inside the Majorcan villa. Sam Workman entered as an OG, but was dumped from the ITV show 16 days in after failing to find a true romantic spark.
Despite his early exit, Sam said he loved his experience, but now, as the final looms, he has opened up on moments viewers never saw. And he admits life in the lavish villa was tough at times as a person with hearing loss.
But behind the laughs and friendships, Sam revealed there were several challenges that viewers never saw. He explained that one of the hardest moments came every night after lights out.
He said: “Every night I’d take my hearing aids out before going to sleep, and sometimes, just five minutes later, everyone would start chatting in bed. I’d be lying there listening to silence while everyone else was laughing and talking because I simply couldn’t hear them.
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Sam opened up on his time in the villa(Image: ITV/Shutterstock)
“It was quite isolating and made me realise how easily people with hearing loss can feel left out without anyone even noticing.”
And he admitted that the group chats also proved to be challenging as he couldn’t always lip read. This caused issues when his hearing aids were picking up the background noise such as birds and wind, as well as everyone talking at once.”
He continued: “I’m constantly concentrating to work out what people are saying. That level of focus can be tiring, and I think it’s something many people don’t realise about living with hearing loss.”
Sam, who first wore hearing aids at the age of four, explained there is a stigma behind wearing them, but he has been overwhelmed with the supportive messages he received since leaving the villa.
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“Hearing aids should be seen the same way glasses are,” Sam said. “As something enabling, not something to hide. And today they’re genuine pieces of tech, connecting to your phone, streaming calls and music, not just helping you hear better.”
He admits without his aids, he would struggle in his daily life, let alone during his time in the villa. And former contestant Tasha Ghouri has also opened up on being deaf on the show.
After her stint in 2023, the star told the Mirror she feared she “wasn’t representing” her community well enough. “I felt like I wasn’t representing my community,” she said at the time after receiving some negative comments.
“That’s why I was quite emotional in there because I was like am I failing but I’m a failure like these things were going through my head.”
Tasha explained that since appearing on the show, she received many messages of support, which “massively outweighed the negatives”.
She also opened up about the pressure to “act a certain way because I wear a cochlear implant” throughout her time on the show. “Going into the show and really wanting to show people that just because you have a superpower, it doesn’t define you – it’s just part of something special that you have,” the star explained to her fans on YouTube.
Sam was speaking through his partnership with Boots Hearingcare. He hopes sharing his story will encourage others not to put off getting their hearing checked.
SOURCE: https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/love-island-2026-sam-workman-37482786
