Love Island: All Stars was thrown into chaos after Lucinda Strafford claimed her and Samie Elishi aren’t friends outside of the show
Kimberly Nhundu Under 35s Screen Time reporter
12:51, 27 Jan 2026Updated 13:04, 27 Jan 2026
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The Love Island: All Stars villa has been plunged into turmoil after bombshell Lucinda Strafford’s explosive entrance.
Following her arrival on Friday (January 23), Lucinda left her fellow islanders reeling when she chose to pair up with Ciaran Davies, completely blindsiding his blossoming connection with her supposed mate Samie Elishi.
Samie was absolutely livid and didn’t hold back during her recoupling speech in last night’s episode (January 26), delivering a scathing response to the shocking betrayal.
Speaking after Ciaran had been snatched away, she declared: “My journey in the villa was lovely up until this very moment but it’s never smooth sailing in this place so you’ve got to take the rough with the smooth I guess.”
The pair later had it out over the recoupling drama, with Samie revealing she felt completely ambushed by Lucinda’s move given their friendship beyond the villa walls, reports OK!.
Love Island fans have unearthed pictures seemingly proving Samie and Lucinda are friends outside of the show(Image: Instagram )
However, 26-year-old Lucinda flatly rejected claims of their friendship, insisting they hadn’t been in contact for a whole year.
Viewers have now taken it upon themselves to hunt down evidence of the reality stars’ relationship outside the ITV2 show.
One particularly telling Instagram post from March last year has grabbed fans’ attention, showing the pair looking incredibly close.
The joint post showcases a collection of snaps featuring the Islanders holidaying in Tulum, Mexico, captioned simply: “The moon and the sun.”
The duo went head to head in last night’s All Stars episode(Image: Instagram )
Additional clips from the same trip have also emerged across social media platforms, seemingly confirming the duo were far more than strangers before entering All Stars.
Reacting to the discovered photos, one viewer quipped: “Welll…. this is awkward.”
Another chimed in: “This didn’t age well,” whilst a third pondered: “So it’s been less than a year?”
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Viewers have also been scrolling through Instagram to check Lucinda’s assertions that Samie failed to invite her to the launch of her fragrance brand, Elishi.
The 26-year-old brought up the launch party during their row, using it as proof that their friendship isn’t genuine. However, Samie countered that Lucinda was abroad when the event took place. And it seems she was spot on.
On November 11, Samie posted an Instagram reel from the brand’s launch, which fellow Islander Millie Court attended.
At the same time, Lucinda was sharing photos from New York City and Dubai on her social media platforms.
Love Island: All Stars continues on ITV2 and ITVX tonight at 9pm
