Who is Claudia Fogarty? Meet Love Island 2023 contestant and daughter of motorcycle racer
The bombshell will make her Love Island debut on Tuesday 7th February.
A new Love Island bombshell has arrived in the villa, and some heads could be about to turn.
On Tuesday 7th February, Claudia Fogarty made her villa debut during the famous dancing challenge. The 28-year-old will perform for the boys and we'll get to find out if she managed to raise any heartbeats (ahem, Ron!).
Ahead of arriving in the villa, Claudia admitted she has her eye on Tom and Casey, and with Casey now single as Lana decided to get back with Ron Hall, it couldn't be a better time for Claudia to join the Love Island 2023 cast.
As she gets settled into the villa, here's everything you need to know about Claudia Fogarty, including who her famous dad is.
Claudia Fogarty - Key facts
Age: 28
Job: Fashion boutique owner
From: Blackburn
Why did Claudia want to take part in Love Island?
At 28, Claudia is done with the "bad boys" and is ready to settle down!
"It’s come at the perfect time in my life," she said. "I’m 28, I’m not getting any younger and I’ve been single for eight months, so I feel ready to settle and find ‘the one’. I’m done with the ‘bad boys’, I just want to find my person and now is the right time," she said ahead of her villa debut.
In terms of what she hopes to bring to the villa, Claudia added: "Definitely my northern charm with some humour, bubbliness and sass. My northern banter is going to be coming in with me - I think I’ll spice things up a bit. I’m a confident person, I can be fiery when I want to be, but I’m a girls’ girl so I know I will get on well with all of them."
And she's already got her eye on two boys: Tom Clare and Casey O'Gorman.
Asked who she's interested in, she said: "Tom. I think he’s a really down-to-earth guy and he’s family orientated like me.
"Casey’s very good looking, his eyes are gorgeous and he seems like a down-to-earth, genuine guy, too. However, I’m very open-minded; I could like any of them."
By entering your details, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Is Claudia Fogarty Tom's ex?
Fans think that Claudia could be Tom's ex, following his reaction to her entrance.
When Claudia walked into the villa, Tom said: ""Oh f***!" and seemed to be panicking, leading fans to think he already knows her and they have history.
"Is the new girl Tom’s ex ?! Because that was a genuine look of terror on his face," one wrote on Twitter.
"Why do I have a feeling that, that's Tom's ex that just got in the villa?", another said.
"Looking forward to seeing Tom’s reaction now his ex is in the villa," a third added.
During an interview with RadioTimes.com, former contestant Zara Deniz Lackenby-Brown commented on the speculation, saying: "I've heard a rumour, it could be untrue, but I've heard Claudia is Tom's ex girlfriend. So, who knows?"
She added: "I think Claudia could turn Ron's head, Tom's head, Kai's head and of course Casey who's now single."
We'll have to wait to see whether the pair have met before. But we'll keep you updated as soon as we know more.
Is Claudia on Instagram?
She is!
You can follow her at @claudiafogarty .
As of February 2023, Claudia had 24k followers, but this is likely to increase following her stint on Love Island.
Who is Claudia's dad?
Claudia's dad is former motorcycle racer Carl Fogarty. Carl is one of the most successful World Superbike racers of all time, holding the second highest number of race wins at 59. He is the son of former motorcycle racer George Fogarty.
In 2014, Carl took part in the 14th season of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, and was later crowned King of the Jungle.
The former racer is excited for his daughter to go on the ITV2 dating show, with Claudia revealing: "He was really for it. My dad said he was really proud and to take the opportunity to find someone that’s not a d**khead, that’s exactly what he said to me."
However, he's given her one warning: "'Absolutely no sex on TV,' he said. He hasn’t really watched it before so it’s going to be a bit of a shock. I just said get a blind fold on, shut your eyes, if you don’t like it, turn it off," she added.
Love Island airs on ITV2 and ITVX at 9pm. Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
Try Radio Times magazine today and get 12 issues for only £1 with delivery to your home – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times View From My Sofa podcast.