THE love connection between sports stars and Love Island contestants is stronger than ever.
Man City ace Ruben Dias is the latest footballer to be enamoured by an alumni of Casa Amor.
The Portuguese defender is believed to be dating model Arabella Chi, who appeared on season five of the reality TV show.
They sent tongues wagging by sharing identical snaps in Paris, although they are yet to be pictured as a couple, despite a reported two month courtship.
While West Ham star Jarrod Bowen's romance with Dani Dyer is continuing to go strong since hooking up in 2021
Back in May, she gave birth to their twin girls Summer and Star.
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Then there's Olivia Attwood, who is married to Sunderland star Bradley Dack.
They soon got together after she split with Chris Hughes, who she met on the show.
By 2019 she was engaged to the footballer, and the two have since become a reality TV power couple – appearing in a number of spin-off TV shows together.
Amber Gill, who was once linked to Jack Grealish, himself a Love Island fan who liked season eight star Ekin-Su Cülcüloglu's pictures on Instagram, is also now dating a footballer in Arsenal Women's Jen Beattie.
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So, why are famous sports stars and Love Island stunners getting into relationships?
Dating coach Hayley Quinn believes Love Island contestants could be attracted to sports stars, not only for their physical appearance, but are allured to their status and the chance of forming a celebrity relationship that could swell their bank accounts.
She also feels others might click because they see a similarity in the way their social lives play out, as well as their values.
"I think we can say with people that go on Love Island they aspire to celebrity on some level," she told SunSport.
"That is seemingly a huge value for them, something that is motivating for them, so seeing a sports star who is famous in their own right, acknowledged, and has all those accomplishments is going to be really attractive.
"Aside from sports stars and Love Island stars being quite physically attractive, there is also the added attraction of together potentially forming the modern day equivalent of the Posh and Becks relationship.
"There's also an undoubted earning potential attached to forming a celebrity partnership as well.
"It could also be just that someone has gone on Love Island, they have found themselves in the same social circles and network and celebrity status and they want to date other people they perceive to be on the same level.
"They have more opportunity to do that, not only at events but thanks to the world of Instagram – both their platforms are going to be easily accessible.
"They have an opportunity to interact because they are known and visible to one another.
"It's not different to a normal person, perhaps they look at someone's fashion and dress and they make an assumption about whether they are working in the same social circles and values, and that's partly what's motivating it and not just a callous desire for more fame and money – it's seeing similarity between them."
For every Jarrod and Dani, there's a failed romance that hasn't worked.
Quinn explains that it can't all be down to superficial level when it comes to sports stars and Love Island beauties connecting on deeper level.
"There are a lot of ingredients to make a successful relationship work," Quinn continued.
"I think having stuff in common is helpful, but absolutely not essential.
"It might be helpful to understand what it's like to have lots of followers on social media and a degree of fame.
"That's going to create an emotional intimacy, that they can understand each other's world and that might, on top of the physical attraction, be the point of connection.
"Physical attraction might be what makes these relationships sizzle at the beginning.
"However, to make a relationship work you as an individual have to be in the mindset where you're ready to stick at and work at things and really wanting a relationship.
"Also, it might support the romance if they enjoy going out to the same places, but again that doesn't mean necessarily mean a successful relationship.
"Factors that could encourage a successful relationship between them could come down to could be how much time they like to spend together, emotional intimacy, how much independence they like… it's a whole laundry list of different factors you possibly don't think about when you're 22, which make up compatibility.
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"You can't equate having things in common with a successful relationship. That's going to depend on their personalities, the relationship styles and preferences.
"While you could also say their stoicism is important and not to get swayed by the next exciting thing, which is a quality we improve as mature in life."
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