Former Love Island star Montana Brown has warned contestants in the forthcoming series of the ITV2 dating show that “fame and money don’t last forever”.
The 25-year-old appeared in the 2017 series of the programme, which was won by Kem Cetinay and Amber Davies and made stars out of contestants including Chris Hughes and Olive Attwood.
She told Cosmopolitan UK: “The first year after Love Island, I behaved like a bit of a brat – people give you everything for free, and do everything for you. But you can’t forget that you’re quite disposable in this industry.
“Future contestants need to know what they’re getting into, and also understand that fame and money don’t last forever.
“In the beginning I was constantly looking in my peripherals to see what other contestants were doing. Who’s working with which brands? Who’s getting paid what?
“You psychoanalyse yourself, because you feel pressure to look a certain way in order to get the work.
“As time’s gone on, I’ve learned you can’t copy people. I had to find what I was passionate about beyond social media, and now use it as a place to keep up with my friends.”
Samira Mighty, who appeared on the show in 2018, in the series won by Dani Dyer and Jack Fincham, said she was shocked by the trolling she received.
She said: “It was surprising. You never expect to see your name trending on Twitter.
“I couldn’t get my head round how people can send messages like ones I’ve had. Every little thing you do gets looked at.
“People think they know you very well, but sometimes it can get a bit too personal.”
– The July/August issue of Cosmopolitan is on sale from June 10.