Tattoo artist Abigail Rawlings didn't expect to be catapulted to fame when she appeared in the 2021 series of Love Island, but that's exactly what happened.
With the 2022 series already underway, Abi has a dire warning for those "try hard" Islanders who are just desperate for Instagram fame and followers, rather than looking for true love.
She dished exclusively to Daily Star on how fame affected her, and what the 2022 stars should watch out for.
Abi explained: "If you go in there generally for love, it actually doesn’t matter what happens. Say for example when there’s a situation like, 'I might get sent home here, so I'm going to act out of character and hope to stay'.
"I feel like it’s really obvious when you do stuff like that, and people can see through it; it shows you’re not being authentic.
Want all the last villa gossip straight to your inbox? Sign up for our daily Love Island newsletter HERE.
"So if you actually go in with the attitude of 'I’m here for love, I don’t care about the Instagram followers or the fame that could potentially come with it', then I think you’ll show your true self.
"You won’t come across as someone who’s a little bit of a try hard just trying to get a little bit of this where they can. Basically just be authentic or else people will see through it," she concluded.
Abi admits she struggled with the sudden influx of followers and attention after leaving the villa – and before Love Island, she didn't even have a personal Instagram account.
Do you have a story about one of this year's Love Island stars? Contact us at [email protected].
Abi continued: "When I first came out [of the villa] I definitely did struggle a little bit, because I’ve never had so many eyes on me.
"Before Love Island, I only had a tattoo Instagram account which was a work profile. I didn’t even have a private profile. But once I got in, I didn’t want people to follow that page unless they actually were interested in tattoos, so I created a personal account.
"Everything was very new, and I did hide away for a little bit to digest it all. At first I found it really scary when strangers would talk to me, and because they watched me on telly they would talk to me like they were an old friend rather than a stranger.
"It would throw me – I’d be like, 'Do I know you, have I tattooed you?'" she added.
Abi said her attitude has now changed, as she explained: "Whereas now I enjoy it, the funny thing is I actually really enjoy talking to strangers and making friends with them.
"It's funny how your outlook on something can change so much and make such a big difference to your life. It’s great!"
Love Island airs weekdays at 9pm on ITV2.
For more of the latest showbiz news from Daily Star, make sure you sign up to one of our newsletters here.
Source: Read Full Article
