Love Island star Sam Workman, from Dudley, has spoken openly about his health journey, hoping to inspire others who may feel self-conscious about similar challenges.
Sam Workman's Candid Revelation
The 25-year-old electrician is one of six boys in the upcoming series of the popular reality dating show. He has revealed that he has worn hearing aids since he was four years old and wants to show viewers that there is nothing to be embarrassed about.
Karate and Football Background
Sam's fellow Islanders and fans might be surprised to learn that he practiced karate in his younger years and finished as runner-up in a competition in Portugal. He also played for Birmingham County, a football team whose entire squad was deaf, serving as their interpreter. He describes this as "a good experience of meeting people from that community."
Hearing Aids and Confidence
Speaking ahead of his villa debut, Sam shared: "I've worn them since I was four years old. So they are really a big part of who I am. I would say that it's helped me with my confidence." However, he acknowledged struggles during school, saying: "Going through school, obviously, you get people that will always say things. I always say that if I was to get them at this age, then I would feel very self-conscious about them. I probably wouldn't want to wear them."
Sam believes his appearance on ITV's Love Island represents progress for representation. He said: "It'll be nice for other people to see it on TV. They've helped me with confidence growing up and going through school. They don't bother me anymore and I don't notice they're even there half the time, but it would be nice for people that I know there's a lot of people that have them and don't want to wear them because they'd be self-conscious about them. So if they see me on TV wearing them, then hopefully someone realises they are nothing to be embarrassed about."
Finding Love on Love Island
Sam is optimistic about his time in the villa and is clear about his intentions. "I feel like I've had a really good year of experiences, probably the best year of my life. But now I'm at a point where I'm ready to find the love of my life. So I feel like Love Island is a great place to meet some 10 out of 10s and hopefully find my future wife."
He added: "I'm very competitive but for me finding my wife would be better than winning the cash prize. I would be winning if I found a partner. I haven't really thought about winning the money to be honest. I am going in to find love. I've actually got my entire wedding proposal planned out. So I say I'm quite a romantic person. I like planning dates and things like that."
Sam credits his parents for his romantic outlook: "My mum and dad have been together for 30 years. And you can tell they still love each other and I think me and my sister both looked up to that. So it would be nice to meet someone who also has the same experience and the same values or even if they haven't, they still want that and aspire to that really. So someone that's family orientated I definitely say it's a big green flag."
Love Island returns on Monday, June 1 at 9pm on ITV2 and ITVX.
