Love Island is the perfect platform to shoot wannabes into the stratosphere of fame and fortune.
Viewers have seen the likes of season five’s Molly-Mae Hague going on to become Creative Director of PrettyLittleThing and season four’s Zara McDermott presenting a slew of important BBC documentaries about revenge porn, rape culture and eating disorders.
But sometimes, the hustle and bustle of a life associated with being famous isn’t for everybody, as some of the ITV reality stars have turned their back on the celeb world to return to their normal jobs.
From Paige Thorne returning to work as a paramedic in Wales and Rachel Fenton serving as a nurse in Dubai to Abigail Rawlings returning to her job as a tattoo artist in Brighton - many show favourites have gone back to their regular 9 to 5.
Paige Thorne - Paramedic
Paige Thorne, who left the Love Island villa last year with Adam Collard after initially coupling up with Jacques O’Neill, has returned to her role as a paramedic.
The 24-year-old qualified as an EMT in 2019, and ‘always planned’ to go back into her line of work despite attending some impressive red carpet events like the National Television Awards and landing a fashion collection with Forever Unique.
She told Ok! Magazine: “I always planned to return to my job after Love Island. I’m on what’s called a bank contract, so I can choose my shifts but I dedicate one day every week to paramedic related work.”
Tyler Cruickshank, Trainee Lawyer
Season 7 of Love Island saw Tyler Cruickshank, who coupled up with Kaz Kamwi before moving onto Clarisse Juliette in Casa Amor and then rekindled his relationship with Kaz.
The fourth-place finisher studied law at university, but took on a job as an estate agent due to low funds: “After graduating I didn’t have the resources to continue studying so I became an estate agent. I made decent money, but it wasn’t what I wanted to do,” he told the publication.
But in August, Tyler began a Solicitors Qualifying Exam course which means he’ll be a qualified solicitor in two years’ time.
Abigail Rawlings - Tattoo Artist
Season 7 of the show also saw Surrey-based tattoo artist Abigail Rawlings, who briefly stole the heart of Toby Aromolaran whilst in the villa.
But Abigail became ‘quite anxious’ about being in the limelight, and made the decision to step away from her fame to resume her true passion.
She said: “Before going on Love Island, I made a promise to my dad that I wouldn’t lose myself. Tattooing has been my entire identity since I was 18, so I was never going to stop. When I was in the villa and I couldn’t draw or be creative, I felt deprived of who I was. I went back to work because I wanted my identity back.
“After leaving the show I took some time away from my job to adjust to my new life as a reality star. I thought I’d cope really well with the limelight. However, I became quite anxious. I even went shopping in sunglasses to avoid attention. I knew I needed to step back for it to become more manageable.”
Jay Younger - Investment Analyst
Season 8’s Jay Younger found it difficult to ‘let his guard down’ whilst in the villa, as he became hyper-aware that his boss and colleagues were watching him on the show.
After coupling up with Casa Amor girl Chyna Mills and being booted from the series, Jay returned to his role as an investment analyst just three weeks after flying back from Mallorca, Spain.
He said: “Despite having their backing, I found it hard to relax in the villa. I was always aware that I was representing my employer, so I wasn’t fully able to let my guard down.
“I went back to work in the first week of August, three weeks after leaving the show.”
Rachel Fenton - Nurse
Season 2 of the dating series saw hopeful single Rachel Fenton, who eventually returned to her role as a nurse after struggling to juggle fame and her full-time job.
She said: “After leaving the villa, I partied non-stop and went to glitzy events. It was fun, but it wasn't really me. So I returned to work as a trauma and orthopaedic nurse within two weeks.
"Being in the public eye was very overwhelming. I remember being in Bluewater shopping centre in Essex when a group of teenagers ran up to me, asking for pictures. Fame was tricky to navigate,” she said.
