Love Island star Matthew MacNabb has revealed it’s taken him two years to adjust to normal life, following his ‘intense’ time in the villa. The star - who has since found love with his Dancing With The Stars Ireland pro partner Laura Nolan - took part in the seventh season of the ITV2 dating show, before being dumped just weeks into his villa experience. But while Matthew may have initially hit it off with fellow Islander Kaz Kamwi, he admitted to feeling like a ‘fraud’ after entering as a bombshell during Casa Amor.
Following the return of the infamous second villa, Matthew opened up to Spin Genie on battling ‘imposter syndrome’ after his entrance, why he believes Maya Jama is ‘built’ to host the series, and the ‘difficult challenges’ he’s faced since leaving the programme.
What are your thoughts on this year’s winter Love Island?
“I’ve been watching bits and pieces, but it’s a commitment to watch the entire show. I’ve heard a couple of different things and I’m keeping up with it. The winter series is a difficult one, I feel the summer one is the one that does really well. Will [Young] seems like a really nice guy. I like people that treat girls with respect and are gentlemen, that’s how I was raised. It doesn’t seem to be a common theme in reality TV shows.”
Was it difficult to make your Love Island debut during Casa Amor?
“In a way, yes. I felt like a fraud, like I shouldn't have been there in a way. All the original boys were out of the villa and we just came in. The girls didn’t know us at that point and you had to build a connection, but in the back of their minds they were with another person. It was weird. It was like trying to take over being someone else's boyfriend. It did feel odd, so that was the main thing for me.”
Subscribe here for the latest news where you live
How intense was filming the recoupling after Casa Amor? How long did it take to film?
“That was a really intense experience. I think that episode was one of the best in Love Island history, it was explosive. I just wanted to sit in the back and lower my head. It takes hours.
“I think I was there for nearly three weeks and went through five different rounds of recouplings, before getting kicked out. I was always the one getting chosen, which means I had to stand up. My legs were killing me because you have to stand there for hours to get the right camera angles and shots. Even if someone breathes out of turn, then they have to do the shot again.”
Is it hard to tell who is being genuine in Casa Amor and who just wants to get into the main villa?
“Yeah, you can tell a mile off from my perspective. I think it comes across on the TV who is playing a game and who actually wants to meet people and experience something. I could definitely see that.”
Was it difficult to adjust to normal life after the show?
“What I found most difficult was knowing my position in life, even two years on I still have the difficulties of imposter syndrome. You can go to big night clubs and events, but it didn’t feel real to me. That was the biggest struggle, trying to find my old self and connecting it with my new reality. It’s really weird because when you go into the villa you’re yourself, then you still come out the same person, but it’s completely different circumstances. It’s absolutely mad. I remember going to a festival after the villa in Belfast and one of my friends got me tickets for the VIP side. I had to walk across the general admission and I swear to god, it was like I was Justin Bieber. My sister-in-law was with me and she got elbowed in the face by girls trying to get to me. It’s such a big show.”
What advice would you give to this year's Islanders?
“When you’re in there, be yourself as much as possible. Be yourself and realise that the show isn’t you. You create your own identity and you don’t have to live by what everybody else or what previous contestants have done. You don’t have to go and be an influencer, you can go back to your old job or do a new career. Just be authentic to yourself and be yourself as much as possible.”
What backstage secrets can you tell us about the show?
“There’s cameras everywhere, even in the toilet, which was a difficult one. They also bag your protein, so you’ve got a limited amount of whey protein. It was terrible for me because I need all the whey protein I can get.
“You don’t know what time or date it is. You’re completely isolated away from the world, so you don’t talk to your family or friends. It’s really weird because you’re in an alternative reality, where you don’t know what’s going on. I think it was the pool party episode and we found out the time for the first time ever, because there was a card machine showing the time in a taxi. It was 9pm and I’m guessing we were up until 4am. Filming is really late, so we didn’t know if we got four hours of sleep or ten hours. Some days you felt absolutely wrecked.”
Do you think there's enough diversity on the show?
“I think they do a good job in general. It’s not as much to do with looks, it should be to do with personality. They do a good job with the personality, which is what makes the show so good. Even this year, you’ve got somebody from a country background, then you have ones from the city. There’s diversity that way. They could always do better obviously, but it’s decent enough.”
Do you think there needs to be more Irish contestants?
“You’ve always got to have the Irish. THey’ve had good Irish contestants - I’ve got to count myself in that! Dami [Hope] last year seemed to be a good guy, then you had Greg [O’Shea] and Maura [Higgings]. We’ve had big contestants from Ireland, especially from the North.”
What are your thoughts on Maya Jama hosting the series over Laura Whitemore?
“She’s built for that! She seems to be the main highlight of the show. The guys all want Maya Jama! But no, she’s really entertaining and has a bubbly personality, so I think she’s built for it.”
You also appeared on Dancing With The Stars Ireland last year, which show was tougher?
“Love Island was tough for me because I lost one of my close friends, who died a week before going into the villa. That was really tough and it impacted the entire experience for me. It was in the back of my mind. I probably would have been more loud and enthusiastic if that wasn’t the case. The most enjoyable for me was definitely Dancing With The Stars. It was really unique for me to learn such a cool skill and doing it with a person that I love. It was the most rewarding. We did really well, we got to the semi-finals and had one of the best dances on the show ever - I’m going to say that! It was a really special experience.”
You met your girlfriend Laura Nolan on the dancing series. Did you ever think you would find love on a reality show after Love Island?
“No, definitely not! I gave up on that, but I suppose when you’re not looking for it, that’s when you find it. For me, Dancing With The Stars was a more natural way to meet somebody. Love Island is great because it’s an amazing show and fun, but I don’t think it’s as natural. Me and Laura are both very similar, relaxed people, which is quite funny. I always say she’s like my bro, but she’s my girlfriend at the same time.”
Would you say the 'Strictly curse' is real?
“I don’t believe in the Strictly curse. It’s like any situation in life - if you’re around somebody you like and you’re single, then it’s completely possible. You definitely create a bond, that’s for sure.”
