In a world of Instagram stars, follower counts and professional attention-seekers, someone who prefers to rest coolly in the background is a rare gem. In Love Island land at least, that gem is Ovie Soko.
The 28-year-old basketball player was a late addition to this year's series, coupling up with Anna Vakili in Casa Amor, and has quickly become a fan favourite. But not because he stirs drama, engages in juicy gossip, or for his lothario ways - simply because he's so damn cool.
Sure, Ovie hasn't had a huge amount of airtime, but any glimpse we get of him is worth ten minutes straight of all the others.
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Whether he's grooving in the kitchen in his dressing gown, taking a not-meant-to-be-hot-but-SO-hot shower in the garden, or coolly sitting back, hands behind head, as drama kicks off in the villa.
Ovie goes against the grain. He isn't prepared to conform to the 'Love Island bloke' stereotype, forcing friendships that aren't there or making desperate attempts at romancing the women. Ovie hasn't clicked with many of the boys (from what we've seen, anyway) and our theory is because he's just too cool for them. No seriously.
Ovie remains authentic, even if that means making jokes that only he understands (such as shouting "Mes-SAGE" every time someone gets a text - an obscure reference to 90s comedy Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood), staying true to his uniform of Hawaiian shirts and safari hats no matter what people think are 'cool' or not, or removing himself from the negative energy in the villa by relaxing on his own while eating an ice pole. You see? The man's classy.
Ovie is the kind of guy that doesn't speak often, but when he does, you listen. Whether he's giving from-the-heart advice to the other villa residents, or giving a brief but accurate summary of Marvin's chances at attempting to woo Amber: "He's f*cked."
Despite genuinely liking Anna, Ovie took his pie on the chin when she chose Jordan. When Anna pulled Ovie for a chat on the day beds, she tried to turn the breakdown of their relationship on him by bringing up the fact he said Joanna "knows whats she wants", cutting him off at every opportunity and calling him "ridiculous".
Instead of rising to it, Ovie decided to remove himself from the situation, telling Jordan he could "have her". Since, Ovie hasn't tried to make a play for the 28-year-old, respecting her new relationship.
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Despite some pretty shady treatment by Anna, Ovie has remained a true gent, pulling her in for a hug when she told him she was going to sleep outside with Jordan, and letting her make the decision on the dumping, despite George being one of his best friends.
Ovie doesn't conform to toxic masculinity: he's six foot seven, ripped to within an inch of his life, and by all accounts a man - but he still isn't afraid to cry. When George got voted out, who he entered with in Casa Amor, Ovie broke down in tears, and simultaneously, the nation did with him
Basically, Ovie is a true one and needs to win the show.
Featured Image Credit: ITVTopics: Entertainment News, TV and Film, Love Island
