Even though the new series of Love Island has now officially begun and those lovely, fresh summer Islanders are already on job (thanks to the sudden introduction of the series' first fit af bombshell, Zachariah Noble), we haven't exactly fallen for them yet – how could we? WE'RE not the ones on bloody Love Island, thank you. They need to work for it.
We need at least a week of getting to know these new recruits before we start seriously swooning over them/going through their bins (that was a joke – and not a bad George Fensom joke, but a good, well written heatworld one).
Anyway, as such, we're going to focus on those existing iconic Islanders we already know, we love unconditionally and can stalk on Instagram – Islanders like winter Love Island finalists Tom Clare and Samie Elishi – at least until we're ready to trade them in for newer models.
Although some (maybe most) couples don’t last outside the villa, we still hold out hope that some of them will reconnect, and this could be the case for Tom and Samie, who split only a few weeks after their Love Island journey came to an end.
Tom and Samie broke Love Island fans hearts when they announced their break-up in April 2023, but rumours have been swirling of the couple rekindling their romance ever since (and not JUST by us because we're manifesting this reunion that hard).
Since splitting up due to their distance - Samie is an Essex girl and Tom is currently Barnsley-based - the exes have been spotted at numerous events together (including 'separate' holidays in Marbella), and now, Tom has addressed the rumours head-on. Well, in an Instagram sort of way...
During an Instagram Q&A on one of his regular train journeys to and from London, Tom shared a selfie of himself – looking a tad smug – and captioned his Instagram story post, "If I had a pound for every time a certain question has been asked 😂 💰."
Now, obviously it we can't just assume he's talking about fans enquiring as to whether him and Samie were back together, but... yeah. Hmm... We suppose it could be about his bulge. We caused quite a digital stir with that one.
Tom and Samie have been getting cosy on TikTok
Adding fuel to the fire, the former couple recently appeared in a TikTok of them lip-syncing to ‘Gotta Go My Own Way’ alongside fellow Love Island exes, Claudia Fogarty and Casey O'Gorman. They’re just teasing us, of course, but still... the former couples are both clearly on very good terms following their respective splits and that's enough hope for a heatworld writer.
The latest sighting is far more concrete. In a viral TikTok, Tom and Samie could be seen looking cosy, with Tom’s hand draped across Samie’s lap.
One eagle-eyed user commented, “The hand on the leg 😳”.
Another commented "WHAT", and someone else asked what we’re all thinking, "Are they back together?"
In yet another TikTok, Tom can be seen hugging Samie with a voice off-camera joking, “They’re friends now!”
Hmm.
If you're considering a recoupling, best hurry, Samie. Seriously, that story about Tom's bulge we wrote a few weeks ago (yep #work) did scarily well, so it's safe to say there's competition out there.