Love Island stars suffer car crash on way to friend's birthday


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Island of love Stars Sophie Piper and Joshua Ritchie are recovering after being involved in a car accident over the weekend.

Piper, 25, is the sister of Loose women Presenter Rochelle Hulmes met Ritchie, 30, at the show's launch. All Star season earlier this year.

“We arrived at my friend’s 30th birthday party, my friend’s not there and now we’re crashing in the taxi,” Ritchie began in a video on his Snapchat stories.

“Soph, do you have whiplash?” he asked.

Ritchie said his neck hurt, while laughing and keeping his spirits high.

“How is everyone feeling in there?” he shouted from the taxi window to check if the passengers in the other carriage were okay. “Oh, God. Well, my damn neck actually hurts.”

Ritchie continued to rub his neck while laughing and asking the other passengers if their necks hurt too.

“That hurt me a lot. I saw it coming too.”

Josh shared the update along with footage of the accident.

Josh shared the update along with footage of the accident. (Snapchat/Josh Richie)

Piper appeared to be in good spirits as she chatted to the taxi driver after the collision. She was sitting in the front passenger seat, while Ritchie and a friend were sitting in the back of the vehicle.

The incident appeared to involve two taxis, as passengers and drivers left each vehicle to exchange details following the collision.

Josh first gained recognition after appearing in the first series of Island of love in 2015 at the age of 21. Meanwhile, Sophie joined the show in the winter 2020 season. They eventually met and have been in a relationship since reuniting on the show in January of this year.

Josh shared live footage of the incident.

Josh shared live footage of the incident. (Snapchat/Josh Ritchie)

Despite rumours that they had split, the couple are still together, having celebrated Joshua's birthday together earlier this year. During their time in the villa, they often received complaints that their trip had been “too quiet”.

Sophie Piper sat in the front seat and chatted to the driver after the incident.

Sophie Piper sat in the front seat and chatted to the driver after the incident. (Snapchat/Josh Ritchie)

They came third in the series, which was eventually won by Tom Clare and Molly Smith after a shock journey that included Smith having to share the villa with her ex Callum Jones.

Piper and Ritchie recently shared that they were “taking things slow” since they told each other they loved each other shortly after the series wrapped.

“I still can't accept that I didn't meet you less than four months ago and now I can't imagine life without you. I love being your best friend and I'm so lucky to be able to laugh with you every day,” Sophie wrote in a birthday post dedicated to the original Islander earlier this year.

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