You okay, hon?? Less than a month after Love Island UK season-five contestant Molly-Mae Hague was calling fiancé Tommy Fury the “love of her life†on main, the 25-year-old confessed on her Instagram stories on August 14 that their “relationship has come to an end.†They had split. “Never in a million years did I think I’d have to write this,†the statement reads. “After five years I never imagined our story would end, especially not this way.â€
The pair came in second place in the 2019 season of the reality dating show and went on to define Love Island UK success as we know — or rather knew — it. Hague, who is also a YouTuber, didn’t just land a Pretty Little Thing brand deal like most freshly returned Islanders; she went on to become the company’s creative director, only stepping down in 2023 to, among other things, focus on her and Fury’s now 1-year-old daughter, Bambi (yes).
To say this announcement comes as a shock is an understatement. While rumors of Fury’s antics had circled for years — he was filmed partying with Chris Brown, for instance, and is often out of town for his boxing career during Hague’s vlogs, leaving her to parent alone — they had so far weathered every speculative headline. The pair got engaged in July of last year and seemed locked in for the long haul.
Except, it seems, whatever happened in the past few days. Much about Hague’s post set off alarm bells, not just because it came so suddenly after what appeared to be her regular content. The wording of her statement (she speaks only of herself and Bambi, not an “our†in sight) and the fact that it dropped around 4 p.m. U.K. time may indicate something unexpected went down. Fury’s own statement uses much of the same language, except for his notable use of “our,†and the fact that he was reportedly posting loved-up photos of the pair on Snapchat just hours earlier.
Hague and Fury were the embodiment of Love Island success, at least in its peak form. On the show, they were compatible, loyal, and quotable (“Um, TOMMY?!â€). The only reason they didn’t win their series was because fans instead rallied behind Amber Gill, making up for her nightmare experience on the show by awarding her and then-fling, Greg O’Shea, the $50,000. While couples Cara de la Hoyde and Nathan Massey, Jess Shears and Dom Lever, Camilla Thurlow and Jamie Jewitt, and Alex and Olivia Bowen similarly welcomed children after the show, none reached the level of fame Hague and, by association, Fury now have. The pair transcended their Love Island roots, becoming pop-culture figures in their own right — Hague for her vlogs and business ventures, and Fury for his boxing, facing off against both Jake Paul and KSI. It’s a level of success that contestants have been struggling to replicate ever since, now that, after 11 seasons, ex-Islanders have somewhat oversaturated the Zeitgeist.
Already, fans have been lamenting that the good old Love Island days are over, given the increasing number of influencer contestants and the fact that Islanders no longer seem to face romantic consequences for straying in Casa Amor. Without Hague and Fury to point to, it’s harder to pretend that the show has the romantic power or the cultural cachet to ensure long-term success.