Love Island’s Ben Holbrough has a famous uncle who appeared on an ITV reality show and the pair are virtually identical
13:20, 19 Jun 2025Updated 13:25, 19 Jun 2025
Love Island’s Ben Holbrough has a reality TV star in the family who’s no stranger to ITV’s dating shows. The 23 year old taxi driver and model from Gloucester recently entered the villa on his quest for romance.
It’s likely that Ben received some sage advice from his lookalike uncle, who is no stranger to the world of reality television.
Viewers might be surprised to learn that Ben is related to Warren Phillips, who graced our screens on ITV’s Survival of the Fittest back in 2018, presented by Laura Whitmore.
The show shipped a bunch of good-looking singles off to the South African Savannah for a battle of the sexes, pitting them against each other in a series of mental and physical challenges.
Throughout the series, contestants had the opportunity to spark up romances with their rivals, but at the risk of jeopardising their team’s chances of winning.
Ben’s uncle is Survival Of The Fittest 2018 star Warren Phillips(Image: Instagram /warrenphillips)READ MORE: Coronation Street legend’s return ‘sealed’ after 7 years to expose Carl and Abi to KevinREAD MORE: ITV Love Island star dumped from villa after fiery love triangle feud
Warren, 36, was part of the Boys’ Team in the first series and ended up in fifth place as part of the runner-up team, alongside James, David, and Tristan, reports OK!.
Ben has shared snaps on social media showing him and Warren hanging out, suggesting they’re pretty tight. In one photo, the pair are flexing their muscles in topless bathroom selfies taken in Ibiza.
Another snap captures them living it up with mates at Wayne Lineker’s famous beach club, O Beach Ibiza.
Despite a rocky start and fans clamouring for his exit after a tense exchange with Toni, Ben has managed to flip the script and is now cosying up to Shakira.
Last week, fans of the show took to social media slamming Ben for what they dubbed “scary red flag behaviour”.
Warren Phillip appeared on ITV’s Survival of the Fittest in 2018(Image:
ITV
)
The drama kicked off when Ben was not happy with Toni after her remarks about the lads potentially being at risk with new bombshells came into the villa.
Things heated up as Ben admitted Toni gave him “the ick”, and when she tried to hash it out, he got all prickly and brushed off her concerns.
The plot thickened as he dropped the bombshell, “I don’t feel like me, and you have got that spark, if I am being honest.”
A gobsmacked Toni could only muster an ‘okay’ while he laid it on thick: “That is just me being honest, but I know when I have got it with someone, that I feel it straight away. But yeah, I don’t feel like you and me have got it.”
Ben and Shakira are currently coupled up together on Love Island (Image: ITV)
Toni hit back: “I mean, I don’t think that technique is going to work for you here.” When he prodded for clarity, she fired back: “Right away off the bat.”
Ben, smirking, retorted: “You’d be surprised. I feel like sparks have already been made.” Toni’s parting shot was a cool “Good luck, pal.”
Yet, despite Ben’s fresh start with Shakira, his earlier snub towards Toni and his blow-up earlier in the episode have left viewers unimpressed, with many waving the “red flag” warning.
Calls for him to be booted from the villa were rampant. One viewer vented on Twitter: “What is Ben’s problem? Can’t deal with this guy for the next two months, get him out!”
Another chimed in with disdain: “Ben’s an insufferable man, child. I hope the next bombshell sends him packing.”
Yet, there’s a camp of fans who are quite taken with Ben’s presence in the villa. A supporter expressed: “It says a lot when Ben is becoming a favourite. He and Shakira are just off in their own world, staying out of drama, and I love that.”
You can catch up on Love Island on ITV and ITVX