Love Island star Catherine Agbaje has been backed by her boss to win the series – as he praised the Dubliner for being “exceptional”.
Catherine qualified with a masters degree in Real Estate Development and Investment from the University of Greenwich following her move from Dublin to London in 2021.
She was hired by Kalmars in London after her boss Sebastian Kalmar told us she came “highly recommended” by her course director.
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Speaking exclusively to the Irish Mirror, Sebastian said: “She has been fantastic in a professional setting. Always continually impressing. She was recommended to us by one of the course directors at Greenwich University who I stay in contact with, who said ‘Sebastian, you’ve got to meet Catherine, she is a very talented young individual. We think she could go places.
“We were very impressed from the get-go. She’s been working with clients and is very successful here.”
Staff at Kalmars all watched the opening episode of Love Island on Monday night and Sebastian said they were on “the edge of their seats” with Catherine’s performance on the summer series.
“We were all eagerly on the edge of our seats watching it and waving Catherine’s flag. We’re incredibly proud and pleased with how she carried herself and yeah, we’ve been very excited about the whole thing. It was very exciting.”
Sebastian said 22-year-old Catherine confided in her boss about going on the show.
“It was ‘let me just talk in confidence about what is potentially going to be happening in the not-so-distant future’ and just having a discussion with us as an employer. Employee to employer.”
But he told us it was a ”bittersweet moment” hearing she was about to go on the show, leaving the company for the foreseeable future - but hopes she will return.
“It was sort of a bittersweet mixed emotions situation where on a personal note you are incredibly excited for her. On a professional note, you’re quite gutted because she has been a fantastic team member and we have mixed emotions.
“We want her to do incredibly well but also at the same time we want her at one point, perhaps, she would come back, which we would welcome her with open arms if we did have that opportunity again.
Sebastian said that despite being talented in her own industry, Catherine always had a desire to go on Love Island.
“On a personal note, when she first joined it was one of the shows she and I have been quite interested in. I think it was something she found interesting and probably applied on the off chance, not really knowing what would happen and here she is now.”
Asked if he thought she could win the series, he said: “We definitely think she’s got what it takes to go all the way. We think she is exceptional, and we wish her the best. We hope she has great success,” he added.
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