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Love Island UK, season 12, episode 3, premiered on ITV on June 11, 2025. In the episode, Ben was feeling off about his connection with his partner Toni. He expressed the same to some of his fellow castmates in the Kitchen, stating that he was getting frustrated with everything that his partner was doing, and he was feeling the "ick" about her.
Ben shared that he didn't feel any spark in their connection and that he couldn't force himself to fake it either. He stated that he felt a bit exhausted and even went on to say that he was stuck with a girl he didn't want to be with.
"At the end of the day, if you're not feeling something, you're not gonna pursue it. I can't physically... I'm not someone who can fake how I feel. If I'm not feeling something, I'm not feeling it. I'm not someone who can just fake it. If I feel something, I'll say it. I'm stuck with a girl that don't want to be with me," Ben told some of his fellow Love Island UK contestants.
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Love Island UK couple Ben and Toni share that they don't feel a connection with each other
Love Island UK season 12 star Ben was initially coupled up with Shakira. However, after Toni entered the villa as the first bombshell at the end of the premiere episode, she chose to couple up with Ben, breaking up his couple with Shakira in the process.
After being partnered up with Toni for just two days, in episode 3, Ben shared with some of the contestants that he wasn't feeling the connection. She expressed feeling "tired" and noted that he doesn't appreciate the comments his partner makes about him and their connection.
When Meg weighed in, saying she didn't find Toni's comments particularly "offensive," Ben explained that Toni had told him he makes everything about himself—something he felt was inappropriate to bring up in that moment.
Ben stated that he has gotten the "ick" from his Love Island UK partner, and everything she does makes him feel frustrated.
After Ben walked away from the conversation, Shakira approached Toni and filled her in on what had been said. She encouraged Toni to talk things through with Ben and try to clear the air between them.
"Well, Shakira kinda made it clear to me that he was talking about me behind my back, saying that I gave him the ick. So I think that the vibes between me and Ben were definitely off today," Toni shared in her confessional.
Toni soon pulled Ben for a conversation and said that they might not be on the same page about what they think about their connection, which the latter agreed with. She then told him that she didn't want to hear from other people that she was giving him the ick and asked him to say whatever he wanted to her directly.
Ben did what Toni asked and told her to her face that she was giving him the ick. In response, Toni quipped that he, too, gave her the ick.
When Ben asked her why he had given her the ick, his Love Island UK partner said that she felt he had been overreacting to things that she had said.
"No, I'm not overreacting. I just need to... I don't know. I don't really know what to say. I'm just waiting for that connection. I feel like me and you don't got that spark, to be honest. I know when I go with someone that I feel it straight away. So I don't feel like me and you got it,' Ben responded.
Ben expressed that he was looking for that instant connection, that spark which he felt was missing in the connection. However, Toni noted that this perspective or technique of his wouldn't help in the villa and jokingly wished him good luck.
Love Island UK season 12 episodes premiere every day on ITV2 and ITVX.
