This is what happens to the Love Islanders after the final

From Cosmopolitan

We're finally at the finish line. Another year down. Another six weeks of watching Love Island well and truly over.

If we don't know what to do with ourselves, now that we have our evenings back, let's spare a thought for the Islanders who are about to be released from the confines of the South African villa. After all, they now have to adapt to a life that's a helluva lot different to the one they left back in the UK.

If you follow any of the previous contestants on Instagram and Twitter, you'll be aware that many of them follow the route of nightclub PAs, sponsored teeth whitening posts and launching their own beauty/fitness/clothing lines.

But, how do they get there? What do those initial 24 hours out of the villa involve? And, behind all the #spon posts, what is life really like? Are you expected to continue showing your life to thousands of people?

The 24 hours after the final

The winner is crowned, the £50,000 is dished out and presumably the contestants get really drunk and celebrate their new found fame and fortune, right? Bang on.

Kady McDermott, season two's third place contestant and now the owner of a cosmetics line, spoke to Cosmopolitan.com/uk about how it feels being in the final, a night she describes as "amazing".

She says of the evening in 2016: "We all just got drunk, basically. It was just a really fun night."

But it's not all fun and games. The contestants are debriefed by casting producers where they will be informed of any potential negative press or publicity they have received while they were in the villa. They're offered psychological support, which they are also given before and during the show. And their personal mobile phones are given back to them. According to Kady, it "went off" when the contestants were reunited with them when their series wrapped.

After the festivities, the Islanders head back to separate hotels in Majorca before they fly back to the UK either the next day or the day after that. There's no rest for the wicked though, especially when they've been sunbathing every day for two months straight. Very often, they launch straight back into filming for a follow-up show.

The first few weeks

Like Kady, Olivia Buckland has gone on to great things after being casted in Love Island's second season, including being an ambassador for multiple cosmetic lines and TV presenting. Olivia and her now-husband, Alex Bowen, came second (to Cara De La Hoyde and Nathan Massey) and are still together four years on.

"The first thing we did after arriving home was to go to London for some more filming," Olivia told us. "At the hotel, it was the first time a brand sent me clothes as I had nothing to wear and I honestly couldn't get over it. I was such a lover of fashion. I went from not being able to afford a £10 top for a night out, to being sent beautiful clothing at my hotel. It was mind-boggling to me."

Olivia says the offers for business opportunities were waiting in her DMs before she even got out of the villa. The show's producers were also on hand to advise on how to navigate the multiple interview requests, opportunities for sponsorship and fashion shoots. They recommend or suggest management and PR firms that can help, although ultimately, it's up to the Islanders who they sign with, Olivia explains.

"I made sure I didn't reply to anything until I had my manager sorted," she says. "I had no clue what I was doing. Once I had my agent - which in itself was so hard to do and very stressful to choose as we had at least ten approach us - modelling jobs, interviews, events, press, sponsorships and partnerships flooded in. For me, it was easy to decide what to do and what not to. I do what I love and thankfully that's fashion, modelling and beauty and a good chin wag. You wouldn't catch me promoting toothpaste!"

Kady recalls making nightclub appearances every single night for about two months, along with her now ex-boyfriend, Scott Thomas.

"We were living out of a suitcase for two months," she says. "It was such a blur and the day after the final we were on ITV's This Morning. It was so hectic, I felt I didn't even get to see my friends and family properly but when I did it was so nice."

For Kady, being in a couple with Scott made adjusting to her new life that bit easier. Scott's famous siblings (Emmerdale's Adam Thomas and Coronation Street's Ryan Thomas) meant he was slightly more accustomed to the celebrity world. He was a "comfort blanket", she says.

As the months went on...

"For the first three months, it was just so hectic," says Kady, explaining that things only started calming down after six months of the show finishing. "I didn't really stop to be honest".

Kady began to struggle with the endless nightclub appearances, as she suffered from social anxiety.

"Scott could talk to a brick wall and be so friendly but it was quite overwhelming for me. I didn't want anyone to think I was coming across rude but sometimes I struggled. I was getting burnt out, we were travelling so much, weren't really sleeping. Towards the end, my anxiety wasn't good and I was missing my mum and home quite a lot. I enjoyed it but it did get overwhelming."

Kady eventually put an end to the appearances to try and combat her anxiety and tiredness.

"I called it a day after a couple of months and focused more on photoshoots because that's what I quite like doing. I started growing some of the businesses I have now," she says. "I had to step away and think: 'Ok, maybe I am turning down some money but it's all affecting me a bit too much'. So, I had to stop some things. It's ok to say no, you don't have to do everything - you are a human being."

Olivia says her life did a "full turn, then a back flip and somersault", transferring from working in sales to non-stop photoshoots and events. This took some getting used to.

"I felt so out of my depth but you learn as you live," she reflects. "I've learnt so much about me as a person. I've learned to love myself and do what makes me happy. You have to roll with it and take it as it comes and remember what you want life to be."

The difficult times

For Olivia, she said one of the most difficult aspects of appearing on the show is the negative comments you can face after leaving the villa.

"I'm such a positive person and I love standing as a role model for self-love and self-awareness," she says. "However, sometimes it's hard to stay strong when nasty comments are thrown your way. I once had an article written about me with photos in a bikini. There were 900 comments and 850 of them were all abusive, derogatory and vile. That was hard."

Olivia says she attempts to balance the hurtful comments by adopting an approach of taking the good with the bad.

Before and during filming of the show, Love Island recruits the help of a psychological consultant, who train their on-the-ground team in Mental Health First Aid. Medical assessments are carried out by an independent doctor, while they also aim to "manage cast expectations" of what's to come - both the positive and the negative, encouraging contestants to "consider all the potential implications of taking part in the show" before making the decision about whether they do it.

For Kady, who had just turned 20 when she left the villa, staying on top of the social and online demands has been challenging. "Sometimes, people do forget you are a normal person and you aren't always on your top form. As I do suffer from anxiety a bit, I'm sometimes not the best in social situations."

The best bits

Olivia and Alex had an incredible wedding and have just moved into their dream home, but some couples aren't so lucky in love. Kady and Scott ended their relationship at the end of last year, but nevertheless, she insists the show brought them success and happiness in a different form.

For Kady, who was a makeup artist before Love Island, getting to launch her own makeup brand, By Kady, has been a great opportunity. "To have products with my name on it and seeing people wearing it was my absolute goal", she says.

While Olivia wouldn't have had her journey end any other way than the fairytale ending for her and Alex.

"I never thought in a zillion years [we would] get married," she says. "I never thought I'd be so in love, it's incredible. Work wise, securing my first huge presenting role (on Second Chance Dresses) is what my dreams were made of."

Watch the Love Island final tonight on ITV2 at 9pm

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