Love Island fans are just realising that Sean 'Fitzy' Fitzgerald, introduced as a primary school teacher, has a high-profile job away from teaching. The 25-year-old from Galway is actually a well-known Gaelic football player in Ireland.
Sean's Sporting Career
Sean competes at inter-county level and joined the senior ranks of Galway's team in 2022. He stepped down from the Galway senior football panel to appear on Love Island. GAA matches typically attract over a million spectators each summer, according to the Government of Ireland website.
Support from His Manager
Before entering the villa, Sean told OK! about his manager's reaction: "He couldn't believe it. He's really supportive. I don't think there's any other manager out there that'd be as supportive as he was. He said 'I'll never stop a lad from trying to better his future' so he said 'You know, even if you get kicked out of the villa in a week or three weeks whatever it is, you have a place back here because you're family'. So it's lovely."
Fan Reactions
On the Love Island subreddit, one viewer queried: "Are people aware that Fitzy is an elite athlete in Ireland?" Another wondered: "I wonder does Lola know? I mean she did say in her intro she wanted to be a WAG." A third fan noted: "It's pretty funny how it's such a big deal in Ireland, and that alone would have all the girls throwing themselves at him. But on Love Island none of them care bc they don't know what it is LOL."
Love Island airs Sundays to Fridays at 9pm on ITV2 and ITVX.
