Cara De La Hoyde: 'Last year's Love Island contestants were fake'

29 January 2019, 08:40 | Updated: 29 January 2019, 08:50

By Emma Gritt

@emmagritt

EXCLUSIVE: Cara De La Hoyde claims Love Island is a ‘different show’ since she went on it in 2016 - and people enter just for lucrative post-show deals.

Cara De La Hoyde thinks the most recent batch of Love Island contestants were more interested in nabbing endorsement deals than finding love.

The 28-year-old no longer watches the hit ITV2 show, adding it's totally changed since she signed up looking for love three years ago.

Speaking on Tuesday’s Heart Breakfast, the 28-year-old said she doesn’t believe that any of last year’s contestants were genuine - as they were more concerned with building a brand to secure lucrative endorsement deals at the end of the series.

She said: "I don't think [the 2018 contestants] were being themselves.

"I don't really watch it anymore. It's a different show.

"When we went on we had no idea. I just went on as I didn't want to pay rent for six weeks and just to sit in the sun.

"But we had no idea and now I think it's a totally different show. People are entering for different reasons.

"It's a totally different ball game."

Being the most successful Love Island couple in the history of the show does mean that Cara and fiance Nathan, 26, often get approached with #spon deals - a by product of their involvement in the show rather than their initial motivation to sign up - but there is one product they just won't touch... teeth whitening kits.

They said: "We're quite picky, we get asked about teeth whitening but we haven't got real teeth so we can't whiten them."

"We got them done at the same place in Turkey that Jack [Fincham] had his teeth done," Cara added.

Cara also explained that being a ‘Love Island couple’ comes with immense pressure - and that they can understand why Megan Barton-Hanson and Wes Nelson went their separate ways.

She said: “It’s a massive rollercoaster. It’s stressful.”

The couple added that Meg and Wes' split break-up might not spell the end for the couple - after all, they split up for 7 months, and are now stronger than ever.

Nathan laughed: "We needed the break, she was doing my head in! We love each other now though, so it's fine."

The pair, who are parents to little Freddie-George, 13-months will wed later this year - but don't expect to see their nuptials being splashed across the pages of a glossy magazine.

Cara said that they want a "chilled wedding" with just close family and friends - and celeb pals they actually know.

Towie stars Tommy Mallett - who is Nathan's usher - and Georgia Kousoulou, will be in attendance, as well as Love Island co-stars Rykard Jenkins and Gabby Allen.

An in what could be taken as a dig at former friends Alex Bowen and Olivia Buckland, Cara said: "We want it to be family not 'hi, we want you there for lots of photos in a magazine'."