# Cach Mercer
**Cach Mercer** (born 2001) is an English television personality, professional dancer, model and DJ who won the twelfth series of the ITV2 dating show *Love Island* in 2025 alongside Toni Laites and now competes on *Strictly Come Dancing* 2026. His full name is Cacherel Damani Mirjah Mercer[1](https://www.hollywoodsmagazine.com/who-is-cach-mercer/), though one widely used profile lists him as Cacherel Mirjah Mercer[2](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/cacherel-mercer.html); "Cach" is simply a shortening of Cacherel, and both "Cach" and "Cash" spellings appear in press coverage[1](https://www.hollywoodsmagazine.com/who-is-cach-mercer/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Cacherel Damani Mirjah Mercer[1](https://www.hollywoodsmagazine.com/who-is-cach-mercer/); also reported as Cacherel Mirjah Mercer[2](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/cacherel-mercer.html) |
| Born | 2001, England[2](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/cacherel-mercer.html); grew up in East London[3](https://www.heart.co.uk/showbiz/cach-mercer-age-height-job-girlfriend/) |
| Work | Professional dancer (hip-hop and Afrobeats), model and DJ[3](https://www.heart.co.uk/showbiz/cach-mercer-age-height-job-girlfriend/) |
| *Love Island* | Winner, series 12 (2025), with Toni Laites; £50,000 prize[4](https://www.capitalxtra.com/news/love-island-toni-laites-cach-mercer-together/) |
| Earlier TV | MTV's *Are You the One? UK*, 2022[3](https://www.heart.co.uk/showbiz/cach-mercer-age-height-job-girlfriend/) |
| Current show | *Strictly Come Dancing* 2026, partnered with Maddie Ingoldsby[5](https://tollbit.radiotimes.com/tv/entertainment/cach-mercer-strictly-come-dancing-2026-contestant-age-instagram-explained/) |
| Social media | TikTok handle cacherel_ll with more than 1.2 million followers[2](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/cacherel-mercer.html); close to 50 million TikTok likes[5](https://tollbit.radiotimes.com/tv/entertainment/cach-mercer-strictly-come-dancing-2026-contestant-age-instagram-explained/) |
| Charity | Ambassador for YoungMinds, a young people's mental health charity[5](https://tollbit.radiotimes.com/tv/entertainment/cach-mercer-strictly-come-dancing-2026-contestant-age-instagram-explained/) |
## Dance career and social media
Before television, Mercer worked as a professional dancer specializing in hip-hop and [Afrobeats](https://www.edgepedia.org/afrobeats), and he also models and DJs[3](https://www.heart.co.uk/showbiz/cach-mercer-age-height-job-girlfriend/). He began posting dance videos on TikTok in April 2020, with his first video set to "Burushaga" by [Reminisce](https://www.edgepedia.org/reminisce), and many of his videos filmed in outdoor environments[2](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/cacherel-mercer.html). The account, under the handle cacherel_ll, has gathered more than 1.2 million followers[2](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/cacherel-mercer.html), and his dance videos have attracted millions of views[3](https://www.heart.co.uk/showbiz/cach-mercer-age-height-job-girlfriend/). Since his television breakthrough, Radio Times reports his TikTok output has earned close to 50 million likes[5](https://tollbit.radiotimes.com/tv/entertainment/cach-mercer-strictly-come-dancing-2026-contestant-age-instagram-explained/). His Instagram handle is @cacherel_[3](https://www.heart.co.uk/showbiz/cach-mercer-age-height-job-girlfriend/).
## Love Island 2025
Mercer's first television appearance was MTV's dating series *Are You the One? UK* in 2022[3](https://www.heart.co.uk/showbiz/cach-mercer-age-height-job-girlfriend/). His breakthrough came in 2025, when he entered the twelfth series of *Love Island* as a Casa Amor contestant[3](https://www.heart.co.uk/showbiz/cach-mercer-age-height-job-girlfriend/), arriving on Day 28 and leaving on Day 58 as the winner[6](https://loveisland.fandom.com/wiki/Cacherel_Mercer).
Inside the villa he formed a connection with Toni Laites, an American islander, and their relationship became one of the series' central love triangles[3](https://www.heart.co.uk/showbiz/cach-mercer-age-height-job-girlfriend/). Laites was coupled with Harrison Solomon before Mercer arrived, and her storyline with both men shaped the latter part of the series; the couple split and later reconciled before the final[7](https://www.heart.co.uk/showbiz/tv-movies/love-island/cach-mercer-says-girlfriend-toni-laites-struggling-with-fame/). On 4 August 2025, host [Maya Jama](https://www.edgepedia.org/maya-jama) announced Laites and Mercer as the winners of series 12[8](https://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2025/0805/1526916-love-island/), ahead of [Shakira Khan](https://www.edgepedia.org/shakira-khan) and Harry Cooksley in second place[4](https://www.capitalxtra.com/news/love-island-toni-laites-cach-mercer-together/). The couple received the £50,000 prize[4](https://www.capitalxtra.com/news/love-island-toni-laites-cach-mercer-together/).
On winning, Mercer said: "It feels amazing. I was 100 per cent authentically myself and luckily the public liked it, so I'm buzzing. I appreciate every moment on the show, it's a once in a lifetime opportunity and I wouldn't have done it any other way."[5](https://tollbit.radiotimes.com/tv/entertainment/cach-mercer-strictly-come-dancing-2026-contestant-age-instagram-explained/)
## Relationship with Toni Laites
After the show, Mercer and Laites continued their relationship outside the villa[4](https://www.capitalxtra.com/news/love-island-toni-laites-cach-mercer-together/). In August 2025, Mercer said on the podcast *Old & Bald* that Laites was finding her new fame overwhelming, noting that before the show she had worked a normal job and had no following[7](https://www.heart.co.uk/showbiz/tv-movies/love-island/cach-mercer-says-girlfriend-toni-laites-struggling-with-fame/).
The couple split in March 2026, around seven months after winning the series[3](https://www.heart.co.uk/showbiz/cach-mercer-age-height-job-girlfriend/). Tabloid reporting linked the breakup to a reported argument at the 2026 BRIT Awards in February, after which the two unfollowed each other on Instagram; one account of the incident places it at a different awards ceremony, and the details come from unnamed sources rather than statements from the couple[9](https://www.memesita.com/toni-laites-cach-mercer-split-love-island-couple-face-breakup-rumors/). Neither has publicly announced a new relationship since the split[1](https://www.hollywoodsmagazine.com/who-is-cach-mercer/), although in April 2026 Mercer was reported to have been seen dancing with TikTok influencer Tallulah Metcalfe without any confirmed relationship announcement[3](https://www.heart.co.uk/showbiz/cach-mercer-age-height-job-girlfriend/).
## Strictly Come Dancing 2026
In July 2026, Mercer was announced as the fifth celebrity contestant for *Strictly Come Dancing* 2026[1](https://www.hollywoodsmagazine.com/who-is-cach-mercer/). He said he had grown up watching the show with his family and that "dancing is a huge passion of mine"[1](https://www.hollywoodsmagazine.com/who-is-cach-mercer/). His professional partner is [Maddie Ingoldsby](https://www.edgepedia.org/maddie-ingoldsby), a UK National Ballroom Champion making her debut as a professional on the series[10](https://www.thecelebpost.com/news/86608-cach-mercer-faces-strictly-judges-criticism).
His casting drew debate because he is already a professional dancer, though in street styles rather than the ballroom and Latin disciplines the judges score[1](https://www.hollywoodsmagazine.com/who-is-cach-mercer/). In the first live show he performed a quickstep to [Bruno Mars](https://www.edgepedia.org/bruno-mars)' "I Just Might", earning 20 points; the judges criticized his ballroom technique, with [Craig Revel Horwood](https://www.edgepedia.org/craig-revel-horwood) faulting his posture and frame and [Motsi Mabuse](https://www.edgepedia.org/motsi-mabuse) telling him to learn the rules of ballroom before breaking them, while the audience booed during the comments[10](https://www.thecelebpost.com/news/86608-cach-mercer-faces-strictly-judges-criticism). His scores improved quickly: 29 for a week-two samba and 31 for a week-three Couple's Choice, placing him second on the leaderboard after week three, behind only Delta Goodrem[5](https://tollbit.radiotimes.com/tv/entertainment/cach-mercer-strictly-come-dancing-2026-contestant-age-instagram-explained/).
## Charity work
Mercer is an ambassador for YoungMinds, the charity supporting young people's mental health, and has used his platform to encourage young men to speak openly about their feelings[5](https://tollbit.radiotimes.com/tv/entertainment/cach-mercer-strictly-come-dancing-2026-contestant-age-instagram-explained/).
## References
1. [Who Is Cach Mercer? Real Name, Age, Toni Split and Strictly, Hollywoods Magazine](https://www.hollywoodsmagazine.com/who-is-cach-mercer/)
2. [Cacherel Mirjah Mercer – Age, Bio, Family, Famous Birthdays](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/cacherel-mercer.html)
3. [Cach Mercer facts: Age, height, TV career and famous ex-girlfriend revealed, Heart](https://www.heart.co.uk/showbiz/cach-mercer-age-height-job-girlfriend/)
4. [Are Love Island's Toni Laites & Cach Mercer still together? And how much money did they win?, Capital XTRA](https://www.capitalxtra.com/news/love-island-toni-laites-cach-mercer-together/)
5. [Who is Cach Mercer? Meet Strictly Come Dancing 2026 contestant and dancer, Radio Times](https://tollbit.radiotimes.com/tv/entertainment/cach-mercer-strictly-come-dancing-2026-contestant-age-instagram-explained/)
6. [Cacherel Mercer, Love Island Wiki (Fandom)](https://loveisland.fandom.com/wiki/Cacherel_Mercer)
7. [Love Island's Cach confesses girlfriend Toni is 'struggling with fame', Heart](https://www.heart.co.uk/showbiz/tv-movies/love-island/cach-mercer-says-girlfriend-toni-laites-struggling-with-fame/)
8. [Toni Laites and Cacherel 'Cach' Mercer win Love Island, RTÉ](https://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2025/0805/1526916-love-island/)
9. [Toni Laites & Cach Mercer Split: Love Island Couple Face Breakup Rumors, Memesita](https://www.memesita.com/toni-laites-cach-mercer-split-love-island-couple-face-breakup-rumors/)
10. [Cach Mercer faces 'Strictly' judges' criticism, The Celeb Post](https://www.thecelebpost.com/news/86608-cach-mercer-faces-strictly-judges-criticism)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Online creators and internet personalities*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license