Whether you loved him or loved to hate him, he brought a distinct charm, cheekiness and a whole lot of chaos to the Love Island 2023 villa. Now, semi-pro footballer Tyrique Hyde is opening up on life beyond the show, as he chats exclusively to OK! while soaking up the sun in Marrakesh to celebrate his 26th birthday.
The Essex native made waves in the villa due to his on-off romance with Ella Thomas, before things fizzled post-show. Here, the sporty reality star, who was born deaf in his right ear and is teaming up with charity RNID to mark Deaf Awareness Week 2025, chats about living with hearing loss and why Love Island catapulted his life…
Hi, Tyrique! So, two years on, how has Love Island changed your life? In a lot of ways. Before it, I wasn’t really as emotionally intelligent or empathetic with people’s feelings. Love Island really made me wake up in that sense. Secondly, it’s giving me the freedom to fly to Morocco on a Tuesday [laughs]. We were invested in your relationship with Ella. How do you look back on it? Ella’s a lovely person – there’s no bad blood. She taught me a lot about myself and relationships, especially when it comes to emotional intelligence. I’ll always be grateful to her for that. Coming out of Love Island is mad – your whole life changes overnight, and it’s a lot to take in. We both struggled to adjust to that new world and figure out who we were outside the villa. As much as we cared about each other, the timing just wasn’t right. We gave it a proper go and we’re still cool now, whichI think says a lot.
Are you dating anyone right now? I’ll be honest, I’m not really dating anyone in particular, but I’m… outside. But I am being very careful.
And what’s the biggest lesson you learnt from the show? You don’t know what people on the outside are thinking or saying about you. I’ve learnt just to always be yourself and trust your instincts.
Would you do another reality show in the future? I’m itching to get back on TV. I would do it all! I’m A Celebrity and especially Big Brother. I think I’d really enjoy it and I think I’d be good. TV is intense at times, but in hindsight, it was a good time. You’re not paying bills and the sun is always out. How has your platform helped you raise awareness for important causes like Deaf Awareness Week? Even being on a show like Love Island, watched by so many, being open and honest with my hearing difficulties was a big thing. Even since, I’ve met so many people – young black guys just like me, saying they were inspired. I’m born deaf in one ear and I’m still making it work. I love who I am.
What are some misconceptions about deaf people you’d like to clear up? One is that, just because someone’s not wearing a hearing aid, that doesn’t mean they haven’t got hearing loss. Until this day, when I tell people, “Oh, could you come to the left side of me because I can’t really hear what’s going on,” they’re like, “Stop lying.” I don’t even blame them. If someone told me they’re deaf, but they haven’t got hearing aids and they’re speaking normally and can hear what I’m saying, that doesn’t mean they’re not struggling.
Why did you decide not to wear a hearing aid? I don’t even remember making a decision not to wear one. It was just all I’ve ever known. If something’s not broken, don’t fix it. Do you think reality TV stars such as yourself have a responsibility to use their influence for good? I don’t really think it’s a responsibility as such. Just because someone was on reality TV, they don’t have to start being a pioneer for this, or that. People should just really share what they’re passionate about and be themselves. I never promote anything that’s going to be detrimental to someone or put someone in danger, I just wanna be exactly how I was on the show. Is that one reason why you have sustained your success, by keeping it real? I think so. A lot of people have gone on national TV and tried to be something they’re not or tried to have a game plan – then when they come off, people have discovered their true colours. When I went on to the show, I said to myself, no matter what happens, if I come home in the first couple of days, I’m just going to be my absolute true self. This is me. It’s the same Tyrique they’re seeing on TikTok, Snapchat and in person. Tyrique was speaking on behalf of RNID for Deaf Awareness Week (5-11 May 2025) – an annual event celebrating the deaf community and raising awareness of the challenges faced by the 18 million adults in the UK who are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus. Visit RNID.org.uk/it-does-matter
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