“One of my best friends is an enemy now”

The series 2 contestant struggled to trust people after the show

When a Facebook message from a Love Island producer popped up on her phone in 2016, Kady McDermott barely knew anything about it. She was working as a MAC make-up artist at the time. “A researcher reached out with a link to apply. I hadn’t seen the first series, but I applied anyway. Three weeks later, I was in the villa.”

Viewers saw her meet Scott Thomas, who she dated for a year, and have an explosive row with Malia Arkian. “I was 20 and not the best at expressing my emotions,” says McDermott.

McDermott and Thomas made it to the final, and lucrative offers flooded in, including one to set up her own cosmetics line, By Kady. She also set up home with Thomas. “People were so obsessed with our relationship. I felt under pressure to put photos up, because we couldn’t be bothered with [split] rumours.”

It wasn’t just her relationship that suffered. Friendships fell apart. “I’ve lost contact with one of my [childhood] best friends. Someone who was close to me is an enemy now. They used me for their own Instagram following.”

McDermott has since built a tighter network of people she trusts. “At first, after the show, there were so many people around. But now I have a small circle and a private relationship.”

Love Island returns to ITV2 in June