Love Island: All-Stars viewers were shocked to find out Tom Clare was friends with these uber-famous celebrities.
The footballer was crowned winner alongside Molly Smith during the live finale of the reality show last night.
Ahead of the results, the couple watched videos of their friends and family wishing them the best of luck in the final.
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Viewers were left gobsmacked when legendary footballers Robbie Savage and Rio Ferdinand appeared on screen to wish Tom good luck.
Fans of the show took to X to share their confusion about the unlikely friends.
Taking to X, one user asked: “Tom is an amateur striker why’s he friends with Rio Ferdinand?”
Another quipped: “Tom’s friend is Rio Ferdinand??? WTF who is this guy?”
Another joked: “Tom being mates with Robbie Savage and Rio Ferdinand is the most random part of this year’s series.”
However, it has since transpired that Robbie is on the board of Macclesfield F.C., the team Tom plays for.
Robbie has previously spoken about Tom’s appearance on Love Island during his first time on the show last year.
The former footballer revealed that Tom asked for his permission to participate in the reality show.
Writing in The Mirror, Robbie shared: “Basically, I simply cannot deny a 23-year-old lad an opening which could turn into the opportunity of a lifetime.”
Love Island All Stars: on ITV1, ITV2 and ITVX
He continued: “Yes, it’s good publicity for Macclesfield FC and it keeps us in the public eye.”
“But if we are going to attract young people to our fanbase, I can’t think of a better way to attract the YouTube or Netflix generation than one of our players taking part in a programme which pulls in millions of viewers and social media hits.”
For the first time in Love Island history, five couples battled it out for the Love Island All-Stars crown during last night’s final.
The final five couples were: Tom and Molly, Callum and Jess, Toby and Georgia S, Josh and Sophie, plus Anton and Georgia H.
However, it was Molly Smith and Tom Clare who took home the £50k prize money when they were crowned winners by Maya Jama.
