Love Island star Tyrique Hyde has opened up about his relationship with Ella Thomas following their split last year.
The pair appeared on the 10th series of the ITV reality show in 2023, coupling up during their stint in the villa.
They eventually finished in third place and continued to pursue their romance on the outside, before breaking up early last year.
Reflecting on his romance with Ella during a new interview with OK! Magazine, Tyrique described his ex as "a lovely person" and said "there's no bad blood" between them.
"She taught me a lot about myself and relationships, especially when it comes to emotional intelligence," he continued.
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"I’ll always be grateful to her for that. Coming out of Love Island is mad – your whole life changes overnight, and it’s a lot to take in.
"We both struggled to adjust to that new world and figure out who we were outside the villa.
"As much as we cared about each other, the timing just wasn’t right. We gave it a proper go and we’re still cool now, which I think says a lot."
Asked if he was dating anyone new right now, the reality star added: "I’ll be honest, I’m not really dating anyone in particular, but I’m... outside. But I am being very careful."
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Rumours of Ella and Tyrique's split first starting circulating in late 2o23, with Tyrique responding to Capital Xtra over questions about the "struggles" of having a relationship in the limelight.
"Obviously first relationship is hard because I’m not used to it but it’s going well, I’m enjoying it and I’m learning on the job sort of thing," he said at the time.
"But like you said – a lot of people is involved in it. I think it’s definitely more difficult when a lot of people are involved in your relationship, especially when it’s your first one. I’m a strong guy, I’ll get through it."
Love Island airs on ITV2 and streams on ITVX.
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Social Executive, Entertainment Portfolio After completing her joint honours degree in Journalism and English Literature at Cardiff University, Iona joined Digital Spy as a Content Production Intern in 2022, where she wrote across both news and features, specialising in TV and movies. Following her internship, Iona continued contributing to the site as a freelance reporter, becoming social executive for the Hearst UK entertainment portfolio in summer 2025. Iona now leads the DS social channels, covering red carpets with stars such as Paul Mescal, Austin Butler, and more.
