Premiering on November 1, the inaugural season of Love Island Games came and went in a flash, bringing together fan-favorite islanders from international iterations of Love Island — from Love Island: USA to Love Island: UK to Love Island: Australia and beyond — for a series unlike anything viewers have seen before.
With familiar faces like Deb Chubb, Justine Ndiba, Imani Wheeler, and more hitting the villa for a second time, we simply could not get enough of the cast for the inaugural season of Love Island Games, however, one islander was arguably the most notable of them all — the one and only Cely Vazquez from season 2 of Love Island: USA.
Entering the Love Island: USA villa on day one, the talented singer-songwriter immediately coupled up with Tre Forte, however, Johnny Middlebrooks arrived and instantaneously stole her heart. Snatching the Cely away from Tre on day two and remaining coupled up until finale night (despite some infidelity that occurred during the infamous Casa Amor week), the duo came in second place after Justine Ndiba and Caleb Corprew, ultimately making the decision to pursue a relationship with one another beyond the villa.
Unfortunately said relationship was extremely short-lived, with Cely and Johnny splitting from one another in January of 2021, just a few months after filming wrapped.
Cely took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to announce the breakup, revealing to her followers, “Because you’ve all been such a close part of our relationship, I wanted to share with you that Johnny and I are no longer together. While our relationship has been public from the start, I do ask that you respect this decision and our privacy during this time. There is no reason to speculate, I am so thankful for our time together, but now it’s simply time for each of us to focus on our own personal journey. I hope that you continue to support each of us individually as we move forward, heal and continue to follow our dreams.”
Likewise, Johnny announced the breakup via his Instagram story, sharing with his supporters, “Thank you so much for everything. I appreciate the time we spent together on this unforgettable journey. I will forever cherish the fun we had, the laughs we shared, and the memories we created. Thank you to all of the fans who loved and supported us the whole way through. Much love.”
With both Cely and Johnny serving as contestants on the inaugural season of Love Island Games, fans of the hit competition show were stunned to see both individuals on the cast list. While Cely definitely had a romantic spark with both Toby Aromolaran and Eyal Booker in the villa, her biggest journey on Love Island Games had to do with herself, showing fans of the Love Island franchise a brand new side to the one and only Cely Vazquez.
The 27-year-old gushed about her growth since Love Island: USA, spilt her secrets, and more in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
Kicking off the conversation, reporter Carly Thomas asked, “Coming back to the Love Island villa years later, have you learned anything new about yourself?” Naturally, Cely Vazquez spilled all of the tea, revealing that she experienced major growth when it comes to her self-worth since her split from Johnny Middlebrooks in January of 2021.
“I feel like after leaving season two, and after watching it back, I learned that I could do better speaking up for myself and standing up for myself, and I feel like coming on to this season, I really did that… I was just so proud of myself for that, because it’s definitely always been a difficult thing for me.”
Cely continued…
“Having that conversation I had with Johnny in the beginning and us being able to squash things and me really just speaking off like how I felt, it was the growth for me, and one thing about Love Island is they’re always going to provide all the growth.”
The conversation Cely is referring to is the one that occurred in the second episode of Love Island Games, just moments after Johnny arrived as a bombshell (and locked lips with both her and Imani Wheeler while they were blindfolded).
As mentioned, Cely and Johnny had their first conversation with one another post-breakup on Love Island Games, where she ridiculed him for his behavior when they were dating (most notably not paying for her nachos at The Cheesecake Factory after she paid for a trip to Hawaii for the two of them), as well as his behavior on social media after their split. With Cely sharing some choice words with Johnny, she showed him who really is the boss!
Constantly radiating confidence, calling herself the “baddest b***h” in the villa on numerous occasions, Cely also shared her secrets to self-love with The Hollywood Reporter.
Wanna know her biggest piece of advice? Just stay true to you!
“I feel like I have a deep understanding that as long as you stay true to who you are, there’s nothing better than authenticity. You never have to be looking at what somebody else is doing, you just focus on you, and that’s where the confidence comes from, you know, not comparing yourself to others, just staying true to yourself… I feel like that’s where I get all of my confidence from. I’m going to do what I’m going to do and whether you like it or not.”
To see Cely Vazquez’s journey on Love Island Games from start to finish, fans of the Love Island franchise can stream the entirety of the beloved competition series on Peacock ASAP.