By Here is the lowdown on Love Island contestant Rachel Christie, who we met in Mallorca just days before she entered the villa...
Vital Statistics
Age: 26
Job: Former athlete and single mum
Entered the villa: Day one
Island Life
Couple: Omar Sultani Tony Alberti (switched on day four) Omar Sultani (chose him on day six)
Kissing partners: 0
Dates: 1 (with Omar and Tony on day four)
What you need to know
Rachel isn't expecting to find love in the villa
"It's such a big thing isn't it, love," she said. "You're not going to find love in however long – I might be there for a week! That's not going to happen. So I'd just like a connection with someone, someone I can get along with and come out and still be friends and maybe that will develop from there. Maybe!" She's going in to "do something different" that she's never done before.
Rachel is a single mum to Logan - her son with David McIntosh
Rachel admitted that she finds it hard to meet men as a single mum ("I'm just at home watching CBeebies!") - she doesn't speak to David (and her son is staying with her mum while she's on Love Island). "I prefer not to have any [contact] with him," she said. "At all." But she tells guys about her son straight away: "That's the first thing they need to know - before my age or my name!"
Rachel was the first mixed race woman to win Miss England - but gave back her title.
Rachel was arrested on suspicion of assaulting Miss Manchester after winning the Miss England title, but no charges were brought. "I didn't do anything wrong, and that's it," she said. "That's all I'm going to say about that. But that's in the past." She added: "I'm in a different chapter of my life now – I'm an adult and I'm way more mature than I was back then, and that's it."
Rachel also revealed that she handed back her crown as part of a mutual agreement. "I didn't really realise what the title was at the time," she said. "I didn't realise how big it was. I was really young in my mind, because I was really mature growing up and then I got to a point where I was really immature, and now I'm at the stage where I've grown into myself. I didn't realise how big it was and appreciate it as much as I should have. But when it happened I didn't really care too much about giving the title back – it wasn't that big to me as it should have been. It was more of a discussion to give it back rather than them saying, 'Give the crown back'."
Rachel is used to negative comments.
"There's going to be nasty people who are bored at home sitting in front of their computer with nothing else to do and just think, 'Let me be a troll for the day'," she said. "I remember when I was Miss England – it always sticks with me because it's quite disgusting – but they said, 'Oh, you shouldn't be Miss England' because I'm black. Just stuff like that. A couple of racist comments, that I'm ugly – as you get older it's just like, 'Whatever'."
Rachel is looking for personality in the villa - and someone who loves kids.
"I think personality more than anything else because I keep saying, 'Someone that's fit', but I'm trying to steer off what I usually go for. I don't want any body builder or anything like that but personality's my key right now. Fun, outgoing personality, doesn't take themselves too seriously but will take me seriously – that kind of thing. Not too serious about life and will do anything."
Rachel is Linford Christie's niece.
And she used to be an athlete herself until health problems stopped her - although she's now back in the gym doing "light sessions". She doesn't train with Linford, though: "No, just at Virgin Active on my own!" And she has no idea what he'd make of her joining Love Island: "You try to think what people would say, but I actually don't know what he would think!"
Rachel isn't planning to have sex on camera.
"I wouldn't do that. I say I wouldn't – no, I wouldn't! That sounds disgusting. I wouldn't. No, I wouldn't. I'd probably throw up or something, just the thought of it." And her mum will be watching... But she says she won't be too aware of the cameras. "I'm not going to be in there and be fake because I can't do that, I'll just look weird like an alien or something. So I'm just going to be myself."
Love Island airs on ITV2.
