Love Island viewers have been desperate to find out the reason Ellie Chadwick is always carrying a handbag around the villa. The 2026 Islander has endured a turbulent time so far on the series, thinking she had been dumped alongside her co-star Samraj Toor before the duo were informed that their stint on the show wasn't actually finished after all.
In a shocking twist, they were told that they had the opportunity to romance two fresh bombshells before heading back to the villa, stunning their fellow Islanders as they returned with the newcomers in tow. Since the fake elimination twist was broadcast, Ellie has seldom been spotted without a handbag. She remains the sole Islander to sport one, flaunting an array of different bags to complement her outfits.
One of her most eye-catching is the Prada Midollino crossbody bag, valued at approximately £2,000, which was also sported last year by Series 12 runner-up Shakira Khan. Following the departure of Robyn Langton from the villa, Ellie could be spotted gripping a petite black bag that she refused to put down even as she embraced and bid farewell to her mate.
"Ellie is sending me with her handbag," one viewer wrote, as another questioned: "Why is Ellie always walking around the villa with a handbag?" "Ellie keeps that bag in her hand like she's ready to go home every night," commented a third ITV watcher. Meanwhile, one reality enthusiast insisted: "I NEED to know what Ellie is carrying in that bag, sis has not put it down."
A fifth viewer even queried whether she had a covert brand deal, commenting: "Ellie is frying me with these bags where is she going? Or is this her own brand like what's going on?" while a sixth quipped: "Ellie with her emotional support purse in her hand kills me every time."
So, what exactly is in Ellie's bag?
Former Islander Demi Jones reckons she knows, taking to TikTok to share her theory about why the 2026 star insists on carrying the accessory everywhere. "Ellie carrying a bag on Love Island has me crying, do you know what I'm so living for it," she began. "I'm telling you now that bag is probably empty minus her lip combo just sprawling about in the bag as she walks around."
The Season 6 Islander went on: "I'm telling you now that bag is empty minus a lip liner, lip gloss and a lipstick. In the villa you physically cannot take your lip combo around with you. And you need to constantly top up, think about how much chatting you're doing, kissing, drinking, whatever and you can't top up."
Demi revealed that during her series, she and her fellow contestants were reprimanded "all the time" for stashing their lip-liners, makeup and even mints in their microphone bags, leading to a ban on using them for anything other than audio equipment. Love Island airs Sundays to Fridays on ITV2 and ITVX.
