Is Love Island’s Tanya proof that you shouldn’t say ‘I love you’ so soon?

Why did Love Island’s Tanya say she loved Shaq?ITV

The Casa Amor curse has officially struck. Love Island’s Tanya and bombshell Martin secured their flirting with a kiss, all while her original partner Shaq is none the wiser, sleeping outside, waiting patiently for her return. While the whole thing could not be a more #ClassicCasa, it does beg the question: Why did Tanya tell Shaq she loved him after 16 days, when her head was so easily turned?

Let us set the scene: Shaq and Tanya are sat on the daybeds in a luxury South African villa, gently polishing their crowns, having just been named King and Queen of Love Island 2023. A likely sight, we’re sure you’ll agree, were it not for the small factor of Casa Amor.

The pair have been coupled up since day one, sharing a bed each night and declaring their undeniable love for each other after two weeks. So far, so Love Island winners.

Tanya and ShaqITV

But as soon as Casa Amor opened its adulterous gates and cheeky Irish chap Martin walked in, it was (probably) game over for Shaq and Tanya. The ‘I love yous’ forgotten. Their winning title, slipped. Tanya’s head, turned.

Love Island viewers couldn’t get over the contradiction, questioning why Tanya went from telling Shaq she literally loved him, to snogging Martin just a few days in. “I find Tanya very strange. how could you possibly be ‘in love’ yet you’re behaving like this? #LoveIsland” one person said.

Another put, “Ngl how can Shaq and Tanya say they love each other yet are flirting with and getting to know other people??? I don’t see how both can coincide #LoveIsland” and “If Tanya brings back another man after telling another one she’s in love with him she’d be the lowest of lows I’m just saying.”

Of course, for some, it’s not that deep. ‘I love you’ is just a phrase; a way of showing your affection and care for someone. Maybe Tanya did think she loved him, and was acting on the way she felt at the time.

Tanya and MartinITV

For others, though, ‘I love you’ should be a sign of something more; something deeper and more meaningful. While it’s not the same for everyone (we’ve all heard the ‘love at first sight’ success stories), rarely do you actually mean it if you’re saying it after a short amount of time… Right?

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“Blows my mind the words ‘I love you” mean nothing to some #Tanya #loveisland,” someone summarised on Twitter, while others added, “Not sure how I feel about Tanya. How can you say you love someone back but then move on with someone else?”

For Tanya, it sounds like a Casa realisation was always on the cards. “Just because I said ‘I love you’, [it] will not stop me leaving that if it’s not for me,” she told the girls when weighing up the Shaq/Martin situation.

Hey, you do you, TT.

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