Brad McClelland may have been unsuccessful in finding romance in the Love Island villa after being unceremoniously dumped when he and Lucinda Strafford were voted as the least compatible couple, before she quickly moved on with bombshell boy Danny Bibby and then Aaron Francis, but he’s insisted his stint on the ITV2 dating show still helped him “find love” as he’s been reunited with a long lost family member.
After years of trying to get in touch with a younger sister who he had never met, Brad was contacted by his sibling after she spotted him on the show.
The Geordie labourer told the heart-warming story during a recent appearance on ITV’s Lorraine as he explained their background.
He told host Ranvir Singh, “I grew up just with my nana, my dad wasn’t on the scene, but I always knew I had a younger sister. I’ve tried to get in contact with her for years, searching social media, trying to find out who she was, I just had her name.
“Basically, she reached out to us and I FaceTimed her for the first time. The first time I’ve seen her face and spoken to her and heard her voice was literally just a couple of days ago.”
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1 of 22Sharon Gaffka Instagram name
Instagram: @sharongaffkaTwitter: SharonNJGaffkaTikTok: She's doesn't do Tik Tok, sorry babes YouTube: No YouTube either
2 of 22Aaron Francis Instagram name
Instagram: aaronfranciisTwitter: He doesn't tweet TikTok: WE'RE OBSESSED aaronfranciisYouTube: Aaron Francis Essentials
3 of 22Liberty Poole Instagram name
Instagram: libertypoolexTwitter: Liberty__PooleTikTok: libertyamorYouTube: No YouTube, sorry honey
4 of 22Hugo Hammond Instagram name
Instagram: hugo_hammond_Twitter: He's not on Twitter TikTok: No TikTok either :( YouTube: Hugo LOVES mystery, no YouTube either
5 of 22Shannon Singh Instagram name
Instagram: shannonsinghhhTwitter: No Twitter account TikTok: No TikTok either, sorry YouTube: Alexa Singh
6 of 22Jake Cornish Instagram name
Instagram: jakecornish7Twitter: Not on Twitter TikTok: No account :(YouTube: He's a water engineer, do you think he has time?
7 of 22Kaz Kamwi instagram name
8 of 22Brad McClelland Instagram name
Instagram: brad_mcclellTwitter: brad_mcclellTikTok: brad_mcclelland_YouTube: No Youtube account
9 of 22Chloe Burrows
Instagram: chloe__burrowsTwitter: @Chloe___BurrowsTikTok: Chloe doesn't have Tik Tok YouTube: No Youtube account
10 of 22Faye Winter
Instagram: faye__winterTwitter: @MissFayeWinterTikTok: No Tik Tok YouTube: Faye doesn't do YouTube, soz
11 of 22Toby Aromolaran
Instagram: tobyaromolaranTwitter: No Twitter (that we can find)TikTok: tobyaromolaranYouTube: No YouTube
12 of 22Chuggs Wallis
Instagram: chuggswallisTwitter: chuggswallisTikTok: Chuggs doesn't do Tik TokYouTube: No YouTube either
13 of 22Liam Reardon
Instagram: liamreardon1Twitter: _LiamReardonTikTok: Liam doesn't do Tik TokYouTube: No YouTube either, sorry babes
14 of 22Rachel Finni
Instagram: rayfinnTwitter: Rachel is very mysterious and only has Instagram TikTok: You won't find her hereYouTube: Or here
15 of 22Millie Court
Instagram: milliegracecourtTwitter: No Twitter TikTok: milliegracecourtYouTube: You won't find Millie on YouTube
16 of 22Lucinda Strafford
Instagram: lucindastraffordTwitter: She's not on Twitter, soz TikTok: lucindastraffordYouTube: No YouTube
17 of 22Teddy Soares
Instagram: teddy_soaresTwitter: No TwitterTikTok: No TikTokYouTube: No YouTube either :(
18 of 22Andrea-Jane Bunker
Instagram: andreajanebunkerTwitter: @_andreajbunkerTikTok: No Tik Tok, yet YouTube: No YouTube account
19 of 22Danny Bibby
Instagram: dannybibby_Twitter: Danny doesn't tweet TikTok: No TikTokYouTube: He's not on YouTube
20 of 22Georgia Townend
Instagram: georgiatownend_Twitter: georgiatownend_TikTok: Georgia doesn't do Tik Tok YouTube: No YouTube either
21 of 22Abigail Rawlings
Instagram: abigaillouiserawlingsTwitter: Abi doesn't tweet TikTok: abigaillouiserawlingsYouTube: She's doesn't do YouTube
22 of 22Tyler Cruickshank
Instagram: tylercruickshank_Twitter: No Twitter TikTok: No Tik TokYouTube: You guessed it, he doesn't have an account
Brad added, “I now have a relationship with her I can grow from. So if anything’s to come from my Love Island experience, [it’s that] I found love in a different way.”
He continued, “It means the world to us. I’m one of six on my mum’s side and my brothers and sisters are massive for me. I try and spend as much time with them as I can.
“So another sibling is massive. You go on that show to find love, but it isn’t always guaranteed. What is guaranteed is what you have at home.”
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This comes after Brad admitted how he really felt about Lucinda cracking on with Aaron just 24 hours after he left the villa.
During an appearance on Love Island’s The Morning After podcast, he revealed that viewers hadn’t seen the whole story behind Lucinda having three guys interested in her when she first entered the villa. Brad explained that he, Aaron and Hugo Hammond all initially made a play for the online fashion boutique owner and hinted that Aaron ended things with Sharon Gaffka because his head was turned by Lucinda.
Speaking to podcast hosts Kem Cetinay and Arielle Free, he said, “She had the opportunity to go with Aaron, she had the opportunity to go with Hugo and she decided not to and I’ve seen that obviously because I was in there.”
Arielle then questioned if Aaron had always been kind of interested in Lucinda, to which Brad cheekily replied, “Well if I got put back in that villa and just basically say, 'Here! Howay, let’s go.
“I’ve already been in that situation where it was me, Aaron or Hugo and I already came out on top. I’m not normally confident in many situations but in that situation I would be.”