We’ve been watching and writing about Love Island for years, but even we have to admit that it’s impossible to remember every single contestant that’s ever been on the show (especially when there are so many Casa Amor Islanders who only got about 30 seconds screen time).
Not all ex-Islanders have stayed in the showbiz or influencing industry either, which makes it difficult to keep up with what they’re doing these days. But one former villa resident who has recently returned to the spotlight to open up about her new life is Love Island 2018’s Laura Crane.
Laura was a bombshell who entered towards the end of the series and she struck up a romance with Jack Fowler. They continued things in the outside world for a little bit, but following their split, she’s taken a step back from the usual celeb circles in favour of a different path.
Prior to entering the villa, Laura was a professional surfer and although she's since retired from her professional career, she recently became the first British woman to surf 60ft waves in Nazare, Portugal.
Speaking about the impressive (but scary) feat, Laura told CNN Sports, ‘From the moment you let go of that rope and you see this mountain of water starting to grow behind you, there are instant feelings of fear that are, of course, like a bodily reaction.’
She continued, ‘I see fear as more of a catalyst for the fact that something amazing is about to happen and excites me – it prepares me to take on what I’m about to take on. It makes me super alert, super ready, and it also reminds me to calm myself and to prove to myself that I have the ability to calm myself in those fearful moments.’
Fellow surfer Polly Ralda added, 'It’s ruthless: you get beat up, it’s very dangerous, I’ve blacked out, I’ve almost died so many times.'
Laura credits surfing Nazare with 'radically changing her life' after deciding to retire from her professional career. She took on the challenge after surfing legend Eric Rebiere asked her last year.
'The town in Portugal is legendary among the surfing community, thanks to waves that reach the height of a 10-storey building. Without overthinking it, I said yes,' she told Women's Health. After an intense six month training routine, Laura completed the surf. After her success, she said 'After years of feeling my value to the sport was tied to my appearance, I had all the proof I needed that I was an athlete.'
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Nathan Katnoria is heat and Closer online’s senior digital writer. He became obsessed with Love Island when Malin Andersson came back to confront Terry Walsh in series two and hasn’t looked back since. When he’s not interviewing former Islanders, Nathan is scrolling through their Instagram feeds for relationship updates and piping hot tea.