Molly-Mae Hague has revealed how she and Tommy Fury sneakily broke strict Love Island rules and watched live TV during their time in the villa.
The former reality TV star, 23, and her boxer boyfriend tuned into breakfast TV on the day of the series' final back in 2019, where they learned what the public opinion of their relationship was.
Love Island is famous for keeping contestants in the dark about the outside world during their stint on the ITV2 show - with their jailbroken phones not even set to the correct time.
As they spend a long, hot summer together in Majorca, the Islanders are unaware of what's going on back in the U.K or what viewers think of them.
But thanks to a member of the Love Island crew leaving a television remote in the villa, Molly-Mae and Tommy got a sneak preview of what kind of reception was waiting for them before they headed home.
Writing in her new memoir, Becoming Molly-Mae, the PrettyLittleThing creative director recalls her final few days on the show - confessing sister Zoe Hague managed to let her know how many Instagram followers she had gained by sneakily drawing the shape of 2.2 - for 2.2million - during her visit to the villa.
Molly-Mae remembers being stunned by her new large fanbase and predicting the rise to fame could have some negative connotations.
"What that meant, I found out on the day of the final," the fast-fashion lover writes in her book.
"Before the live final ceremony itself, Tommy and I were watching TV - we weren't meant to, but the crew had forgotten to take the remote out of our bedroom!"
The star goes on to explain how she and her beau tuned into a breakfast TV programme that was discussing all things Love Island.
Molly-Mae recalls how the general feeling in the villa had been that she and Tommy would be crowned champions - due to being the only official couple - but after sneakily watching TV, the star discovered the opinions of some viewers.
"The message was: everyone hates Molly, she cries crocodile tears, she's fake, she doesn't like Tommy, she's only there for the money," the former reality TV star remembers learning.
"It was really, really, really savage. Tommy and I just sat there watching TV, feeling like....Oh."
The Instagram influencer goes on to explain how it was her first taste of negative feedback and trolling - confessing that after seeing the clips on TV she feared getting her phone back and connecting with the outside world once again.
Thankfully for Molly-Mae, since her stint on the ITV2 - where she and Tommy came runners up to Amber Gill and Greg O'Shea - she has gone on to become the show's most successful contestant of all time.
It's not just her career that has flourished since leaving the villa.
She and Tommy are still loved-up, with Molly-Mae even discussing their plans to marry and have babies soon in her new memoir.
*Becoming Molly-Mae by Molly-Mae Hague is out now.
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