Molly-Mae Hague, aka former Love Island contestant and Pretty Little Thing creative director [1], recently appeared on an episode [2] of Steven Bartlett's Diary of a CEO podcast, to talk about her time on the reality show and how her work ethic is the main thing that's helped her to succeed.
"I answered a question once on my YouTube about 'was Love Island [3] a business move for you', and it is tricky for me to say the right thing without upsetting people, but put it this way, I didn't go on that show to find love. No-one does. People go on it for the experience, people go on it for a laugh," the 22-year-old told Bartlett.
She went on to explain that despite the fact she ended up leaving the show with a boyfriend, it was most likely because getting a boyfriend was the last thing on her mind at the time. "I think because I went on there with completely the probably incorrect mindset, that's why I did come out with a boyfriend, and I think 'cus you know when you're not expecting something, it happens," Hague explained.
When Hague was approached by ITV [4] to do Love Island, she said that her influencer career was already going pretty well, telling Bartlett that "there was actually a side of me that thought 'I can actually do this without going on the show, like I know I'll be fine either way' and my following was growing rapidly. I was on about 170,000 followers at that point and that was all organic growth."
Hague then confirmed that "the show just sort of elevated me and one thing I always say is that when you come off that show you're all on a level playing field, and it's totally up to you where you go with it, and I just knew that I wanted to go to levels that no-one had ever gone to. That's not the reason why I am where I am now. Yeah it gave me a platform, yeah it elevated me, but the things I've done now are not because of Love Island. They're because of me and what I've decided to do, and my work ethic."