Love Island star and West End performer Ope Sowande has addressed ongoing speculation about his sexuality, setting the record straight during a candid appearance on Madame Joyce's podcast, Cocktails and Takeaways. During the interview, Madame Joyce tackled one of the questions viewers have been asking most since Ope appeared on the ITV dating show.

"The girlies want to know..." Madame Joyce began.

Ope quickly interrupted, joking: "Am I into girls."

Madame Joyce then asked directly: "Are you into girls? Are you into guys?"

Looking straight into the camera, Ope replied: "Guys, this is it, I'm fully..."

However, he immediately stumbled over his words, adding: "I'm fully and only into guy-girls."

The accidental slip left both Ope and Madame Joyce in fits of laughter before he quickly corrected himself.

"Cut that s***. F***," Ope laughed.

Starting over, he made his position clear.

"I'm only into girls. I've only ever gone out with girls. Girls are my thing. If I could be bi, it would be amazing. But I'm not into boys."

The 27-year-old went on to explain that his personality and friendship circle may be why some viewers have made assumptions about his sexuality.

"So I'm just so like myself and I've got a lot of gay friends, a lot of girl friends and whatever so like had to adapt to that space."

Ope added that he doesn't feel confined by traditional ideas of masculinity.

"I've got so many layers, I can be masc and I can be fem. I can give you what the f** you want."

The interview comes shortly after Ope found himself at the centre of another online conversation — this time surrounding the pronunciation of his name.

Many Love Island viewers were surprised to learn that Ope pronounces his name "Oh-pee," rather than the more traditional Yoruba pronunciation. The reality star recently explained that the pronunciation stems from his upbringing after being fostered as a baby by his parents, Pauline and Barry.

Speaking about the topic, Ope revealed that his foster parents had called him "Opy" from birth and that he continues to use that pronunciation as a way of honouring them. He acknowledged that it is not the traditional pronunciation but said it holds personal significance because of the people who raised him.

Since leaving the villa, Ope has continued to spark conversation among fans thanks to his outspoken personality, humour and refusal to conform to expectations — whether that's about how he presents himself, how he pronounces his name, or who he dates.