‘I love showing people I am sexy and brainy!’
As one of the standout stars of last year’s show, Anna Vakili was known for her fierce girl code and her shouting matches with ex Jordan Hames. But the Kardashian lookalike, 29, who swapped her pharmacy job in Ascot, Berkshire, for the villa, surprised fans recently when she took to Instagram to announce she was returning to work a year on from finding fame on the show.
She says, “I always knew I’d go back to pharmacy at some point, but the COVID-19 crisis has just sped that up. Pharmacy is a passion of mine, but it’s not my only passion. I love make-up and fashion, too, and I went on Love Island to explore that side of me. I’ve loved the influencing work I’ve been doing since then, but with pharmacists being in demand right now, I just knew I had to go back to my work.
“It’s been tough getting back into the swing of things and adapting to a new way of working, especially wearing personal protection equipment. It’s a scary time and we’ve all had to be extra careful at work, as obviously people who are feeling unwell will often head to the pharmacy first. It’s been sad, as we’ve heard about patients who have died from the virus. But I’m really enjoying my work – and I do feel proud.
“I posted about my return on Instagram because I wanted to show my followers you can have social status but also have brains. I can be sexy and glam, but also put on my suit and my PPE and head into the pharmacy.
I love showing people that
I can do both. No one should be typecast.”