Love Island star finds romance and success after show
IN THE summer of 2018, Rosie Williams was faced with a tough decision – carry on working as a solicitor for a global law firm or enter the Love Island villa.
The 28-year-old from Rhondda had spent eight years studying but chose to put her law career on hold in a bid to find love.
For a while, it looked like Rosie had finally found the one in Adam Collard, but things took a turn for the worse when he ditched her for a new islander and she ended up being booted from the show.
But since leaving, Rosie has gone on to build a successful career as a social media influencer and businesswoman and found love with banker Wayne Davies.
Rosie, who’s now based in Manchester, said: “I was graduating from my masters in law and somebody from the show got in touch on Instagram asking if I wanted to apply but I didn’t really pay much attention to it.
“Then months later, I was finishing everything I wanted to do and on my graduation day I thought, ‘Should I just send a video in and see what happens?’
“I did it on a whim. I thought it would be a good opportunity to just go out for the summer and see what happens. Then they were on the phone the next day.
“It was a big decision to quit my job, but at the same time, it wasn’t. I knew I would regret it more watching the show on TV and knowing that I could have been there.”
Viewers saw headstrong Rosie enter the villa on the third episode and couple up with fellow islander Adam.
But their relationship quickly turned sour, and Adam was criticised for his behaviour towards Rosie.
Talking about her time on the show, Rosie said: “It tests every single emotion that you have – good ones and bad ones. I definitely think it taught me things about myself and we all came out as completely different people.”
Since appearing on the show, Rosie has amassed more than 811,000 followers on Instagram, has partnered with brands such as Pretty Little Thing and is in the process of launching her own clothing line.
“When you come out, it’s complete madness – you’re showered with gifts and jobs,” she said.
“You just live out of your suitcase and move from one hotel to another. It was amazing, I don’t think any of us realised how big the show had been that year.”
In July 2018, just weeks after the series ended, Rosie revealed she made a year’s solicitor salary in just one month from sponsored Instagram posts and appearances.
But she said forging a long-term career in the wake of the show isn’t as simple as it seems.
“I would say the real test is probably six to 12 months after it ends when your life is starting to return to normal and everyone is trying to compete with each other to get deals,” she continued.
“It can be quite tough. When I first started meeting other influencers, I didn’t realise that they had designed their houses so they could take photographs or planned their lives around what and when they post.
“At first I thought it was silly, but now I’m a couple of years in and most of my work is through Instagram I’ve realised why they do it. It does make your life a lot easier when everything in the house is ready for you to get up in the morning and start creating your content.”
While Rosie said she loves working as an influencer and hopes her experiences can help younger women wanting to get in the business – she still likes to challenge herself.
“Being a solicitor was quite a strenuous job and I missed using that part of my brain,” she said. “That’s why I decided to become an entrepreneur and businesswoman and invest in my own company and set up White Collar, which is an officewear brand.
“We were supposed to launch back in April but we put it on hold because of the outbreak.
“We’re hoping to launch later in the year now when people start to go back to work and school.
“I’m really looking forward to it: it sort of combines my two jobs. I love fashion and I used to always get compliments in the office for what I would wear and now I have the platform to release my own line it seems like the right thing to do.
“It also shows women that you can be in a high-powered job and have an interest in fashion and the same time.
“Maybe I would go back to working in law at some point, but if I did it would be in a different way. At the moment I’m just excited to see where White Collar takes me.”
A new career isn’t the only success Rosie has found since leaving the villa. Shortly after returning home, she rekindled her relationship with former boyfriend, Wayne Davies.
She said: “He is someone I was dating before the show, we had an on-off relationship. When I went on the show, and Adam was treating me the way he did, I realised that I missed him. Me being on the show also gave him the kick up the bum he needed.
“When I came out, we started seeing each other straight away and got together in the August. I’ve been living with him now for nearly two years, and it’s going really well.
“I don’t think we’d be here today if I hadn’t gone on the show, so it all worked out for the best.”
Despite making Manchester her home after leaving Tonypandy to study, Rosie said she could see herself returning to Wales one day.
“Manchester is where I want to be at the moment, there’s a lot going on here and there are loads of opportunities, but I do think about where I want to be when I settle down and have children.
“As I get older, I am thinking about whether I’d want to move back home and raise them there. I always feel so safe when I go home, and Welsh people are always so lovely. It’s beautiful being so close to the mountains.
“I have all my family there as well. I have my auntie in Manchester with me, but the rest of my family are back home.”