Greg O’Shea has admitted he’d love to be the next James Bond.
The Love Island winner is secretly hankering after an acting career – and thinks he’d make the perfect 007.
Limerick native Greg, 27, told The Irish Sunday Mirror: “I would absolutely love to get into acting.
“I think I would really enjoy it, I love being in front of the camera.
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“I haven’t done any acting before. I have just done presenting so I don’t know if I would be any good but I would love to give it a crack.”
He joked: “James Bond would be the ideal role for me. Though Greg O’Bond doesn’t really have the same ring to it.”
Greg revealed how he was bullied in school over his acne – and how he’s considering writing a book about his experiences to help others.
He said: “I was speaking to a couple of publishers. I want to tailor it towards young people.
“Even going back to simple stuff like dealing with relationships in school.
“I had acne for four years, looking back now I was being bullied but didn’t realise I was getting bullied. I thought it was slagging.
FITNESS
“Dealing with professional rugby but also trying to get my degree, getting into Love Island and dealing with social media, I think there are so many nuggets of information.
“I would love to put that into a book, kind of like my life lessons to this point, but in an anecdotal, light hearted way.
Having had a stint on 2FM and as a telly pundit on Virgin Media rubgy ace, Greg has his sights set on more media work.
Presenting a fitness series is right up his street – though he wouldn’t rule out hosting a reality show like Dancing with the Stars either.
He said: “I love radio and I love TV. I really enjoyed my time on 2FM. If I could get back in there I would love that.
“I like being in front of the camera too, so something like presenting Ireland’s Fittest Family would be great.
“Or I love the idea of presenting a dancing show like Nicky Byrne.
“I just need to build up my CV and keep tipping away and taking jobs. It’s just about getting established.”
Although he’s landed gigs off the back of Love Island Greg said there are some reality shows that are strictly off limits.
He revealed: “They were on to me to do Dancing With The Stars and I just thought it wasn’t for me.
“The Irish one I wouldn’t do, just because my best friend Jordan Conroy did it and it was his thing and I wouldn’t want to take away from what he did and achieved.
“For instance, I’m sure if Love Island got on to him asking him to go on the show he would say ‘that’s Greg’s’, we don’t stand on each other’s toes.”
Greg, who won Love Island 2019 with Amber Gill, warned that the instant fame contestants can achieve can be both overwhelming and dangerous.
But he agreed if he had to go back in time he would do it all over again.
He said: “I think the whole draw to Love Island, and why people get obsessed with it, is that it is relatable.
“It’s about relationships and a lot of people know how it feels and get so invested emotionally in it.
“It’s nearly dangerous coming off the back of the show because the public are so emotionally invested in you and your life and relationship.
“I was kind of naive when I came off the show. Now looking back, a bit older and wiser, I can see why it works so well.”
But he added: “If I could go back I would do it again but this time I would be more mentally prepared for the backlash.
“It got very dark. I have dealt with it now and left it in the past and I don’t like digging it up any more.
“But yeah, it got really, really bad because I decided not to move to London and be with the girl I had won it with straight after the show.
“I was just lambasted by the British media.
“I don’t think they understood that I had a long term life goal of going to the Olympics, being a celebrity in London was just not right for me.
“I have more knowledge now and I can look back and think ‘that Love Island thing was mad’.
“I have learned who is there for me and which people actually cared for me. In the long term, it’s actually been positive.
“But it was a rollercoaster journey alright.”
Greg admitted he struggled with the instant fame after Love Island.
Reflecting on the tragic death of presenter Caroline Flack, and contestants Sophie Gradon and Mike Thalassitis, he said it was a “tough subject”.
He added: “I suppose you have to realise that there might have been other things going on in their lives which have just been exacerbated by the fact that now they are in the
public eye.
“I think the danger with Love Island is that it’s instantaneous fame which isn’t earned, if you know what I mean.
“Someone goes in, take myself for example, with 2,000 followers and I came out with 1.7 million followers 13 days later.
“You have just gone in and walked around in your swimsuit and you are a personality now and you haven’t built up to that fame.”
He added: “That’s the danger with it, but then there are great positives to it as well, like you get the most unbelievable work opportunities.
“I can use my platform now too as well to help out charities, where I am able to give something back which I wouldn’t be able to do if I hadn’t been on the show.”
Greg said he still keeps in touch with many of the former contestants, including Longford beauty Maura Higgins.
He said: “Myself and Maura might chat every couple of weeks, just over Instagram and stuff. Just checking in with each other.
“You are not going to pretend to be friends with these people who you spent time with on a show for only a handful of weeks.
“It’s like going away on holiday and meeting people and then you all go back to your own lives.
“We kind of respect and support each other from a distance and we kind of message back and forth every now and again.
“One thing though that I am very, very proud of is that I still have all my same mates (from) before the show.
“Those people didn’t castrate me.”
