Two summers ago, Indiyah Polack parked her job as a hotel waitress to chance her luck at finding Mr Right in the Love Island villa, and she hasn't looked back since.
In an exclusive interview with heat, the 25-year-old reality star and presenter took a nostalgic trip down memory lane to her life-changing 2022, when she met boyfriend Dami Hope, shot to fame, and got her first taste of working with big-name brands.
But before her life veered down a path of glittering success in the spotlight, how did Indiyah actually secure her spot on the coveted Love Island line-up for series eight?
Lifting the lid on the entire application process, Indiyah recalled, "I would say it's an intense two weeks. I got scouted via Instagram. [Producers] told me a bit about what was going on, but not too much about the show, just like, 'We've got a reality TV show coming up.' But if you put two and two together, you can kind of guess that they're talking about Love Island."
From there, Indiyah - who has just moved into her second place with Dami, a flat in North London - was sent an application form, where she submitted answers about her personality, as well as a mini VT detailing her interest in partaking in the show.
What happens after? Indiyah shared, "Producers abandon you for a couple of days - you don't hear anything from anyone. They're just like, 'Thank you', and you're like, 'Oh, okay, just keep me on my toes!'"
When producers replied with their interest in moving Indiyah forward, things moved quickly. She remembered, "You have about nine days for meeting the producers - you're reading all the consent forms, they sign you up to do a psych with a mental health specialist, you get an STI check... all of this is happening, one day after the other. All these emails are coming through you have to read, [so] you're just making sure you understand the process fully."
She added, "It's quite an intense process once you get the go ahead and it's really fast, which is why I felt like I didn't have enough time."
Indiyah revealed that Love Island bosses would reiterate that "you're not in the villa until you're in the villa", but she wanted to be "semi-ready" in case they needed her to fly out. She explained, "But also, I [didn't] want to put too much trust in [producers]. It's very... you feel a bit like a side chick."
"I'd say it's a good process - it's very thorough," Indiyah added. "By the end of the process, you feel like you know what you're getting yourself into. It's very obvious if it's for you or not, and they make sure you're really comfortable and safe in that sense."
WATCH: 'GO WITH YOUR GUT!!! ' Dami and Indiyah play Mr & Mrs 💍
Millie Payne is a News and Entertainment Writer for heat. She has specialised in showbiz interviews, features, articles and roundups for over three years and loves combining her love for writing, talking and all things popular culture.