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Former Love Island contestants Tanya Manhenga and Shaq Muhammad couldn’t hide their surprise at the disappointing viewing figures for the latest series but added their guesses to the mix as to why fans may have lost interest.
The 22-year-old biomedical student and the airport security officer, 24, found love in the famous villa and have remained strong in their coupling since leaving the winter season last March.
Despite their success on the ITV 2 reality dating show, this summer’s batch struggled to captivated large audience numbers with the fixture’s ratings coming in at an all time low.
The return of the usually popular show fell flat compared to its 2022 debut and its tenth run only generated an average of 1.3 million viewers – more than a million down on the previous year’s launch during its first episode back in June.
Speaking exclusively to Metro.co.uk at the National Reality TV Awards at Porchester Hall in London, Tanya and Shaq were bewildered as to why the current season wasn’t pulling its weight.
‘It’s crazy, isn’t it!’ Tanya exclaimed however she went on to conclude: ‘I think maybe the social media ban. Maybe that’s why, that’s the only difference’.
The couple attended the National Reality TV Awards together (Picture: GC Images)
They found love in the South African villa (Picture: GC Images)
Shaq followed his girlfriend’s comments and said: ‘I think from watching it, it’s been so entertaining. I’ve been hooked. I’ve forgotten I was on it and have been watching as a fan. It’s been so entertaining!’
Nodding in agreement, Tanya couldn’t understand why more viewers weren’t enjoying the villa’s antics as she was.
The star shared: ‘It’s been a good season, a lot of drama, a lot of good characters – season ten done it with a bang!
‘I think they picked a good bunch that’s why it’s so captivating, so I don’t know why the ratings are lower.’
Tanya offered her thoughts on why the viewership was down (Picture: GC Images)
The couple came fourth on the show (Picture: Shutterstock)
When asked if they would ever return to an All-Stars version of the dating phenomenon – should they find themselves single once more – both parties decided against the idea.
Tanya reasoned: ‘I went in not looking for someone and I got someone so I feel like I’ve just completed it now.
‘Going in there now would just be strange, especially because you know how it goes now so it’s just a bit… we’ve done it, it’s checked off the list. I still can’t believe it myself, but it worked.’
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Shaq agreed and said: ‘I’ve done my Love Island journey, I’ve come out with my missus and I’m happy. We got what we wanted out of it and we’ve got each other.’
The couple finished in fourth place during season nine of the hit ITV fixture that allowed singletons explore romantic connections in South Africa.
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The island’s viewership needs a lot-a TLC.