Love Island's Brad McClelland meets long-lost sister for first time after exiting villa

Brad, from Amble, revealed he had met his 15-year-old sister as a result of his appearance on the ITV reality series.

Speaking with Ranvir Singh on Lorraine, he said: “I grew up with my nana. My dad wasn’t on the scene but I always knew that I had a younger sister.

"I tried to get in contact with her for years by searching social media and trying to find out who she was.

"Basically she reached out to me and I Facetimed her – the first time I’ve seen her face and heard her voice was literally just a couple of days ago.

My plan now is to have a relationship with her so if anything has come from my Love Island experience it’s finding love…

Ranvir noted: "You found love in a different way. You found family love!"

Brad agreed and added: “It means the world to me. I am one of six on my mam’s side and my brothers and sisters are massive for me.

"I try to spend as much time with them as I can. One of the first things I did when I got out of here was to see my brother so another sibling is massive.

“You go on that show to find love but it’s not guaranteed. What is guaranteed is what you had at home before you left.”

Brad, 26, was quick to get back to Amble to meet up with family following his return from Majorca.

He puts his strong family ties down to his relationship with his nana, Joyce, who he has lived with for over 20 years.

Asked what his nana thought of the show, Brad replied: "She didn’t watch the show before I went on so had no idea what it was. I think she complained about a few things that were happening in there!

"There are a lot of younger people on there doing things that young people do and she is a bit old-fashioned and stuck in her ways so it was all new to her.

"My nan actually cried a lot. When my friends, family and neighbours were coming past when I was in the garden they were all saying how proud they were of me so I think my nan started getting upset for the appreciation I was getting.

Ranvir said how gentlemanly Brad had been on his exit from the show when viewers decided that he or partner Lucinda Strafford had to leave, or both of them, and Brad chose to walk away.

“You get used to being in there and you grow close to people, especially with being in from the start,” he said. “It’s sad to leave that behind and the people behind.

“We’re in there 24 hours a day. You only get to see 40 minutes of it and even in that you might only get to see a few minutes of me and Cin together.

"We just got along so well. Everything felt normal, easy going. I just wish there was a bit more time for other people to see what we had. Everyone in the villa could see it.”

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