Everything we know about Love Island's Tanya Manhenga—the biomedical student turned islander

Wondering about Love Island's Tanya Manhenga? Here's everything we know about the islander who swapped her biology textbooks for a sun-soaked season of mad moves and dramatic texts—plus a look at her villa journey so far...

After strutting into the villa for the first time to meet her fellow islanders and new host, Maya Jama—let's just take a moment for Maya Jama's Love Island outfits—Tanya has now found herself in a couple with airport security officer, Shaq Muhammed.

Tanya was the first to enter the villa (and coincidentally the first rumored cast member), meaning she got the coveted first pick, with Shaq stepping forward for her. And while it's still early days, the pair's chemistry does seem to be sizzling (pardon the science pun), with Tanya choosing him or bombshell David, in the first recoupling.

So, while we watch her get to know Shaq, what do we know about the biomedical student turned islander? Here's the lowdown on Tanya, from her job IRL to her age...

Who is Love Island's Tanya Manhenga?

Tanya was actually the first potential islander tipped to be joining the winter cast and before jetting to South Africa (where Love Island is filmed) she was hitting the books, studying for her degree in biomedical science.

Now though, the Liverpool local is hoping to find love in the villa and if her pre-Love Island career is anything to go by, she'll have some very exciting opportunities coming her way once her reality TV stint ends...

What is Love Island's Tanya Manhenga's job?

As mentioned, Tanya is currently a biomedical student but also worked as a digital creator and modelled for a number of well-known brands including Boohoo and Ego, to name a few.

So, we already have high hopes for all her Love Island clothes and outfits!

How old in Tanya Manhenga on Love Island?

Tanya is 22 years old, making her one of the youngest islanders—so far Anna-May and Harris are the youngest contestants at just 20 and 21 years old.

What is Tanya Manhenga looking for in the villa?

Before crossing the villa threshold, Tanya opened up to ITV revealing that she was looking for a boyfriend.

She said: "I’m looking for a boyfriend and I think being in a Villa with lots of different people will help me work out who it is I may want." Though, if any of the villa boys like to go barefoot, they better steer clear of Tanya as she shared that "guys that don't wear socks" is one of her biggest icks and to be honest, we get it. 

The influencer also opened up about having Vitiligo, saying: "You may not even notice it. It's on my lip and I have a stripe on my hair. 

"Not many people know that but I think it’s quite cute. I don’t care about covering it up all the time, I think it’s a vibe."

We can't wait to see how her Love Island journey pans out—be sure to check out Love Island First Look to see a teaser of what's in store for Tanya and the rest of the cast in the next episode...

Tanya Manhenga's 'Love Island' journey so far

As mentioned, Tanya was the first girl to enter the villa and chose to couple up with Shaq. After their first few days, things seemed to be going well for the pair until bombshell David entered the fold and put all his eggs in her basket (a Love Island quote meaning he wanted to focus solely on her).

This naturally created somewhat of a love triangle before the first recoupling of the series saw Tanya have to pick between Shaq and David—with whoever wasn't chosen facing being dumped from the villa.

Tanya chose Shaq, sending David packing. Since then, they've been going strong—until episode nine, where Zara also voiced her interest in Shaq. So, from the looks of it, we might have another triangle on our hands—be sure to tune into Love Island First Look for the latest updates!