Who was Shaq Muhammad with on Love Island and why did they break up?
22 January 2026, 13:00
Love Island All Stars contestant Shaq Muhammad is getting a lot of heat about his past relationship with islander Tanya Manhenga but what exactly happened? And how long were they together? Here's everything you need to know.
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Shaq Muhammad is trying his best to explore new romances and connections in the Love Island All Stars villa which is so far between Helena Ford and AJ Bunker.
However, despite his open and honest approach to these new potential relationships, it hasn't stopped him from getting a lot of heat about his ex-girlfriend who he met on his original series of Love Island.
First appearing on the dating show in January 2023, Shaq coupled up with Tanya Manhenga on the first day of the villa and spent their entire stint hot and cold with one another.
However, their connection proved strong as they made it all the way to the final and were one of the first couples of the series to say 'I love you'.
So what happened between Love Island's Shaq and Tanya? And why exactly did they split up? Here's the full story.
Who was Shaq Muhammad with on Love Island?
Shaq and Tanya's connection was undeniable in their series despite some of their rocky decisions.
Coupled up from day one, they remained strong until Casa Amor was thrown into the mix and Tanya chose to recouple with newbie Martin, leaving Shaq single.
This of course, caused fireworks in the villa, but it wasn't long before Tanya was making a public apology and getting back together with her man. They finished in fourth place and were beaten by winners Kai Fagan and Sanam Harrinanan.
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How long were Love Island's Shaq and Tanya together?
Things went well outside the villa as they even moved in together. Almost 18months after meeting, however, tensions grew as Tanya unfollowed Shaq after he returned from a trip to Miami with Love Islander Dami Hope.
In August 2024, Tanya took to social media to confirm they had split. She said: "Hi guys, just want to say unfortunately, me and Shaq are no longer together and have parted ways. We wish each other the best and can't thank you enough for loving us together until now!"
Why did Love Island's Shaq Muhammad split with his ex-girlfriend Tanya?
Coming on to All Stars, Shaq has answered all the questions which have come his way regarding his and Tanya's relationship.
Opening up to Belle Hassan in the villa, he said: "I went on holiday to Miami, and I got a lap dance. I was fighting for the relationship. I said it was wrong, and I thought it was something we could get past."
For some, Shaq's explanation isn't enough after he once said their break-up was actually over him calling another woman "beautiful".
Tanya has also spoken about the split and said on a podcast: "He needed to mature a little bit because guys mature very slowly. I feel like he was having his epiphany of maturing in our relationship, but then it's at the expense of my feelings that you're maturing, and it's not good enough."
Speaking ahead of his villa entrance, Shaq said he wasn't afraid to talk about the split as he had "nothing to hide".
He said: "If anyone wants to know the truth [about the split] or what happened or anything like that, I have nothing to hide. They can ask me. I’d rather someone ask me directly than speculate or have like an assumption of me without actually speaking to me first."
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