Toni Laites, Yasmin Pettet and Shakira Khan formed a friendship whilst in the Love Island villa together over the summer and the trio all ended up reaching the final
Love Island runner-up Shakira Khan made a dig at other islanders from the reality TV show whilst discussing her friendship with Yasmin Pettet and Toni Laites. The trio met in the villa over the summer and have become close pals.
Shakira, 22, reached the final of the latest series of the ITV2 show in August with her partner Harry Cooksley. Although she clashed with some co-stars whilst in the villa, she had grown close to Yasmin and Toni, who were coupled up with Jamie Rhodes and Cach Mercer respectively.
All three couples made it to the final, with Yasmin and Jamie placing third together. Shakira and Harry were announced as the runner-up couple by host Maya Jama, with Toni and Cach named the winners of the most recent series.
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Shakira spoke about her friendship with Toni and Yasmin whilst discussing her Love Island experience on Capital XTRA earlier this week. At one point in the interview, she was asked what makes them “different from the rest”.
She described the trio as “real” in her response and said that they found a “sense of sisterhood” together. The former islander added that the three pals “keep it real” and said in the recent radio interview that they are “outspoken”.
Shakira said: “We’re real. I think people will have their opinions but I feel like we’ve always said it how it is and we always found like a sense of sisterhood with each other. We always think the same things – like we always have the same opinion.”
She continued by sharing on the radio show: “And yeah, I just think we keep it real. I don’t think we’re the sort of people you would stereotypically put on Love Island either. Like we’re all quite outspoken, strong females.”
Shakira concluded her response to the question by addressing the reaction to the trio. Sharing her thoughts, she said: “And yeah, it didn’t land with some people but the girls who get it, get it, and the girls who don’t, don’t!”
She had been an original islander on the latest series of Love Island, which ran from June to August. She had initially coupled-up with Ben Holbrough but he was then ‘stolen’ by the first bombshell, Toni, in the launch episode.
A twist then saw Shakira pitted against her co-stars as she was told that she had 24 hours to get a different boy to couple up with her or she would be dumped from the show herself. It appeared to lead to some tension in the villa.
Shakira ended up recoupling with Harry, which meant that Sophie Lee, who had been coupled up with him, had to leave the villa instead. Shakira, who clashed with other islanders at time during her stint in the villa, and Harry had an on-off romance throughout the series, including as part of a long-running love triangle with Helena Ford, whom Harry also pursued.
Shortly before the final, Shakira and Harry reunited after being a part and ended up becoming the runner-up couple. Shakira took the opportunity to thank her pals Yasmin and Toni in a post after leaving the villa beside them.
She wrote last month: “To be in the final with my two babies was definitely not on my Love Island bingo card!! Toni and Yas, I genuinely couldn’t have lasted a single day in that villa without you. I’m forever grateful I get to call you my friends.”
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