Reality TV star Harry Cooksley, who is currently on the twelfth season of popular show Love Island, has previously revealed that he is actually – as part of his day-to-day working life – a body double for one of the Premier League’s biggest names.
Cooksley, who plays football for Southern League Premier South outfit Farnham Town FC, is known by his friends as ‘The Surrey Zidane’ thanks to his likeness to the Frenchman – but, as it’s only on a semi-professional basis, he has other lines of work.
When he’s not strutting his stuff in the middle of the park for Farnham, the Love Islander earns his trade has a gold trader and a model. But, perhaps most notably, the 29-year-old is paid to act as a stand-in for Arsenal and England midfield ace Declan Rice on set.
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Harry Cooksley on Life as Declan Rice’s Body Double
‘Yeah, I spoke to Dec before I came out’
Like a number of previous Love Island contestants – Joshua Oyinsan of Season 11 was Paul Pogba’s body double; Kylian Mbappe’s body double, Reece Ford, was on Season 8 for example – Cooksley believes being Rice’s counterpart is his ‘claim to fame’.
Guildford-born Harry spoke ahead of entering the Love Island villa and explained how his role works. When Rice is on a shoot, all close-ups will actually be of Harry rather than the former West Ham United skipper. Per The Mirror, the part-time footballer said:
“I’m the body double for Declan Rice. So when he does a shoot, any body close ups will actually be me. You’ll never see my face, but you’ll see my shoulder or chest, that kind of thing.”
Admitting that he and Rice – who is widely regarded as one of the best midfielders in world football – had exchanged words before he left for the Mallorcan sun, Harry joked that his body-double work is likely to dry up given Rice is in off-season mode.
“Yeah, I spoke to Dec [Declan Rice] before I came out,” the Love Islander said before adding, “I’m sure he’ll be fine – he’s got the summer off now so he’ll manage without me.”
While Rice, 26, is enjoying time off after the Gunners finished second in a third successive Premier League campaign, his body-double is looking for love. Harry admitted that the midfielder told him to be himself and that he was supportive of his choice.
“He was happy for me. He just told me to be myself. He’ll be supporting from the outside. He was excited.”
Rice, who was signed by Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal for big bucks in the summer of 2023, has emerged as one of his side’s most important assets – and he, and his teammates, will be preparing for next season’s much trickier title race given that Liverpool and Manchester City are strengthening.