How Love Island’s Molly Smith has become new Molly-Mae Hague with Hollywood L’Oreal deal, 5-star hols & sport star lover
SHE won Love Island earlier this year – and Molly Smith hasn’t stopped winning since.
The 30-year-old model and her footballer boyfriend Tom Clare were crowned the first ever winners of Love Island: All Stars in May, bagging the £50,000 cash prize.
Since then, the pretty blonde’s profile and net worth has skyrocketed, joining her namesake Molly-Mae Hague as one of the few Love Island millionaires.
Molly has the world at her feet, with six-figure endorsement deals with the likes of Boohoo, exotic holidays and a hunky boyfriend who is rumoured to be on the brink of proposing.
Now, insiders say the reality TV star is quickly becoming the next Molly-Mae, who found fame after starring on the fifth series of Love Island back in 2019.
And she could even eclipse the 25-year-old influencer – estimated to be worth a whopping £6million – in terms of money and brand opportunities.
“Molly Smith is definitely going to become the new Molly-Mae,” brand and culture expert Nick Ede says. “People have fallen completely in love with her since she won Love Island.
“Brands adore her, and you’ve got everyone from L’Oreal Paris to Boohoo all coming to her to offer lots of money for her to be part of their brand.
“It’s very similar to how Molly-Mae was.
“Everybody’s seen this person who they felt the public would really relate to, they love her love story with Tom.
“It just feels that she’s in the right place at the right time – and she’s just got it.
“It’s great to see that she’s quite refreshing as well, with a great personality – again, like Molly-Mae, somebody who is quite honest about who they are, what they get up to but also people really, really just like them.”
Sporty boyfriend
Molly, from Manchester, first appeared on Love Island for the show’s first winter edition in 2020.
Coming in as a Casa Amor girl, she was given the unenviable task of having to steal a man from one of the girls in the villa – and quickly swept scaffolder Callum Jones, 27, off his feet, despite the fact he was coupled up with fan favourite Shaughna Phillips.
They were swiftly dumped from the island by the public – but their love was long-lasting.
Callum, also from Manchester, and Molly moved in together before going their separate ways last September.
Despite the fact they both went into Love Island: All Stars, Molly went on to find a connection with series 9 islander Tom, who, like boxer Tommy Fury, is from the world of sport, and plays for Macclesfield FC.
It’s great to see that she’s quite refreshing , with a great personality – again, like Molly-Mae, somebody who is quite honest about who they are
Nick Ede
Since winning the series together, their relationship has continued to grow, and Tom has left the London flat he shared with Love Island co-star Casey O’Gorman to move in with Molly in Manchester.
And, in a strange turn of events, Casey has become very pally with Molly’s ex Callum.
Molly recently jetted off to the Maldives with boyfriend Tom for a romantic break, where she showcased her rock hard abs.
Tom has even been sparking engagement rumours, having shared a mirror selfie of the pair looking tanned and loved up.
In the post, Tom’s hand is placed gently around Molly’s waist, and he captioned it: “Wifey.”
Six-figure deals
Molly may have only been a Casa Amor bombshell in the flop series that was the first winter Love Island, but she still did extremely well for herself after.
She landed the biggest ever brand deal for a Casa Amor Islander, when she signed with I Saw It First.
The six-figure deal saw the company launch its Along Came Molly collection, with Molly as the face.
Then, in March this year, after winning All Stars, “multiple” brands have been queuing up to sign Molly, all offering six-figure deals.
Love Island winners - where they are now
EVERY year Love Island opens its doors to more sexy Islanders who are hoping for a holiday romance that could turn into more.
Here we take you through all of the Love Island winners so far and what their relationship statuses are now:
2024 – The first ever All stars spin off show was won by Molly Smith and Tom Clare. STATUS: Still together.
2023 – Jess Harding and Sammy Root took home the 50k, and won the summer 2023 Love Island. STATUS: Broken up.
2023 – The first series of 2023 saw Sanam Harrinanan and Kai Fagan crowned Love Island winners in South Africa. STATUS: Still together.
2022 – Davide Sanclimenti and Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu’s time in the villa was anything but a smooth ride, but they managed to win the public’s hearts – and the ITV2 reality show. STATUS: Broken up.
2021 – Liam Reardon and Millie Court were announced winners of Love Island 2021. STATUS: Still together.
2020 – The first ever winter Love Island saw Paige Turley and Finn Tapp crowned winners after falling in love on the show. STATUS: Broken up.
2019 – Series 5 saw Tommy Fury and Molly-Mae Hague runners up to winners Greg O’Shea and Amber Gill, who met in the last few days of the series. STATUS: Broken up.
2018 – It wasn’t surprising fan favourites Jack Fincham and Dani Dyer won the show, as they were strong throughout. But sadly things didn’t last. STATUS: Broken up.
2017 – Kem Cetinay and Amber Davies had lots of ups and downs in the villa but went on to win. STATUS: Broken up.
2016 – Nathan Massey and Cara De La Hoyde were together from the start of the series, and since they won the show they’ve had two kids and are married. STATUS: Still together.
2015 – Despite poor Jess Hayes being Max Morley’s second choice on the show, they did win – but they didn’t last as a couple. STATUS: Broken up.
The blonde bombshell has opted to be a global ambassador for US-based supplement brand Alani Nu, which also boasts partnerships with A-Listers including Kim Kardashian and Emily Ratajkowski.
Announcing the news on Instagram, Molly said: “What an honour it is to announce that I am @alaninutrition new UK ambassador!
“As a fitness enthusiast, partnering with this incredible global brand is so exciting, if you’re passionate about fitness and wellness you need to check them out.”
While Molly-Mae is the face of PrettyLittleThing – and was once the creative director – Molly has signed with fast fashion giant Boohoo, in a six-figure contract.
As the latest ambassador for the brand, Molly now has a huge clothing collection with Boohoo.
Speaking about landing the deal, Molly said: “I am absolutely thrilled to be partnering with Boohoo!
“It’s a brand that I’ve loved and worn for years, and to now be part of the family is just amazing.
“We’ve got some incredible things in the works, and I’m eager for everyone to see what we’ve been creating.”
More recently, Molly has been snapped by L’Oreal and Maybelline in another huge deal, meaning she’s about to follow in the footsteps of Kendall Jenner and Eva Longoria.
Winning smile
Molly-Mae had composite bonds before she went into Love Island – and has taken her followers on her journey to get rid of them since leaving the villa.
Last year, she revealed she’d got new bond edging done to make them “look even more natural”.
Meanwhile, Molly opted to get composite bonding on her teeth before heading into All Stars.
And, as Nick says, both girls are “refreshingly honest” – and Molly opened up to her followers on TikTok about the procedure in a before and after video.
With all these huge deals, one would think Molly had no time for anything else, but she’s also managed to launch her own business venture Move with Molly this week.
The new app will feature fitness plans, including workouts and nutritious recipes.
The app is available on pre-order, but the Instagram page for MWM already has over 56,000 followers.
Nick says: “When a talent brings out their own brand they’ve got to make sure that they really are putting all their time and energy into it, and authenticity is the most important thing.
“We know that Molly’s physical and sporty, and she enjoys that kind of lifestyle, so her brand is actually perfect for her.
“She’s got to live and breathe her brand, but I think someone like her will – and that’s what her fans see.”
Molly-Mae is also really into her fitness and often posts videos of herself in the gym for her followers.
Millions of followers
While Molly-Mae has a whopping 7.6million followers, Molly Smith’s fanbase is increasing since she won, with 1.6million followers on Instagram watching her show off her jet-set lifestyle with hunky Tom, as well as her working out in the gym.
Nick finishes by saying Molly has every chance of eventually having more followers than Molly-Mae if she continues down the fashion, fitness and lifestyle route.
He says: “She’s going to pursue this, make lots of money, and go for all the elements like Molly-Mae did.
“She went for hair, make-up, apparel, eye-wear, swimwear, the whole thing – and I think that’s what Molly’s going to be doing for the next few years.”