Shropshire Star

From Telford schoolgirl to Love Island for Tyne-Lexy - with video

A former Telford schoolgirl is to star on one of television’s most controversial shows.

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Tyne-Lexy is the latest star on hit show Love Island

Self-confessed “massive flirt and tease” Tyne-Lexy Clarson is one of the latest singletons to join outrageous reality show Love Island in hope of finding love.

The 20-year-old Birmingham university student went to St Dominic’s High School for Girls in Brewood and Thomas Telford School.

Tyne-Lexy. Pic: ITV2

And she flew out to sunny Majorca on Sunday to make her debut on the ITV show – which returned to our screens on June 7. Upon entering the villa with scouser Gabrielle Dawn Allen, she said: “I love being curvy and I think guys love having something to grab onto."

Tyne-Lexy, who lives in Cannock, Staffordshire, added: “When I talk to a guy they get hypnotised by my eyes. I am a massive flirt and big tease.

“I had a guy asking £20,000 to go on a date with me and I said no – he then offered me £40,000 and I still said no. I cannot wait to get into the villa.

“Chris [Hughes] is the main guy in there I’m after but who knows what floats my boat.”

The aim of Love Island is for the young men and women to couple up, with the person that gets voted to stay gets to enjoy life in hot and sunny villa rather than a return flight to the wet and cold British summer.

The winner is in with the chance of winning £50,000.

Tyne-Lexy. Pic: ITV2

Tyne-Lexy’s mum Tracee Clarson spoke to the Shropshire Star after her daughter was revealed as one of the new contestants on the show. She said: “It is strange seeing her on the television.

“It isn’t filmed live but she’s out there now and has no contact with the outside world – a bit like on Big Brother.

“I think they film it a bit before and then broadcast it on TV after and then she was on the live show with Caroline Flack after.

“It says she’s from Birmingham because she goes to university there but she is originally from Cannock.

“She went to St Dominic’s School in Brewood.

“We’re all rooting for her.”

It’s not the first time the Tyne-Lexy has made it onto the big screen.

Tyne-Lexy pictured aged 12 after her family made it to the second round in the 'GMTV No1 Singing Family' competition for a Christmas No. 1 album. From left; Tyne-Lexy Clarson, Marni-Lee Clarson, Mia-Jay Clarson, and Milla-Star Clarson as the "Miss.C" group

Back in 2009, at the age of just 12, she and her family appeared on a national television singing competition.

Their group Miss. C made it to the semi-final of GMTV’s Number One Family, after being described as ‘scrumptious’ by Coleen Nolan at the quarter-final stage in Manchester. The group were made up of the Clarson sisters Mia-Jay, aged 17, Marni-Lee, 15, and Milla-Star, 10, of Bishops Wood, and their then 12-year-old cousin Tyne-Lexy.

The competition – which is no longer on television – saw families from across Britain compete for a record deal. Tyne-Lexy has also been a regular in the Shropshire Star's sister paper, the Express & Star, over the years. As a three-year-old she was pictured posing with Santa Claus at a Christmas fair while as a nine-year-old she was seen in the auditions queue for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in Birmingham.

Tyne-Lexy’s mother added: “She’s really entertaining. It's always a bit strange when you hear someone else saying her name on television. We’re all really excited and she’ll be loving it out there. The show can run for several weeks and there’s lots of twists and turns they can have. There’s all sorts going on and there’s a secret house in there.

“She’s a drama student and has appeared on TV before. She’s been in Shameless and Toast. And then she did her A-Levels and went to study art – she’s a really good artist. She was offered places to study that but her heart was in acting so she’s gone down that line. She’s absolutely committed to her degree but if she could earn any money on the side its always a bonus – it will help pay for her uni fees.

“She does singing and the dancing but missed auditions for The Voice cause it clashed with her exam so couldn’t do it this year.”

On Tuesday’s show, much to the dismay of Essex girl Chloe Crowhurst, Tyne-Lexy took no time in trying to swoon the popular contestant Chris by having a good flirt.

And ahead of the show she said she planned to embrace the opportunity.

She said: “At the end of the day you only get one opportunity at this. I have no loyalites, I don’t know them and they don’t know me.”

Love Island is on ITV2 each night from Sunday to Friday at 9am. The normal show has a spin-off show on Saturdays called Love Island: The Weekly Hot List, which also kicks of at 9pm.

All of the episodes so far are available on the ITV Player.