What is vitiligo? Symptoms of Tanya Manhenga’s skin condition and what the Love Island contestant has said
Tanya #Tanya
Winter Love Island starts on Monday 16 January at 9pm on ITV, with the contestants entering a brand new villa on South Africa’s “millionaire’s row”.
Although the premise of the show is to find love, many contestants leave the programme with the bonus of an influx of followers and fledgling careers online and in showbiz.
For this reason, Love Island often attracts many glamorous young contestants – including this year’s influencer entry, Tanya Manhenga.
Who is Tanya Manhenga?
22 year-old Tanya Manhenga from Liverpool is a biomedical student and influencer.
When asked why she wanted to enter the villa, she said: “I’m looking for a boyfriend and I think being in a villa with lots of different people will help me work out who it is I may want.”
She also used the introduction video to explain her skin condition, saying: “I have vitiligo, which is a skin pigmentation, you may not even notice it. It’s on my lip and I have a stripe on my hair.
“Not many people know that but I think it’s quite cute. I don’t care about covering it up all the time, I think it’s a vibe.”
What is vitiligo?
The NHS explain that vitiligo is “a long-term condition where pale white patches develop on the skin. It’s caused by the lack of melanin, which is the pigment in skin.”
The areas of skin most commonly affected by vitiligo include:
It’s possible that the condition can be triggered by certain stressful events, such as childbirth. It can also be caused by severe sun damage, or exposure to certain chemicals.
According to the Mayo Clinic, vitiligo symptoms include:
More from Television Winter Love Island 2023 contestants
An extra “bombshell” contestant will enter the villa following a public vote. For now, the 10 confirmed cast members are as follows:
More from Television When is Winter Love Island on TV?
Winter Love Island starts at 9pm Monday 16 January on ITV2 and ITVX.
Often referred to as “Blue Monday”, the third Monday in January is said to be the most depressing day of the year. According to The Sun, Love Island bosses decided on this start date for the show to “give fans a massive lift on such a gloomy day”.
Every episode will be available to catch-up on via ITVX online.