Four Love Island finalists you completely forgot existed – and what they’re doing now

If you can remember every Love Island finalist without Googling them, congratulations – you’re either a walking ITV2 archive or lying. Because whilst some finalists turn their villa romance into multi-million-pound deals, for others, the big post-show glow-up never happens.

Sure, Molly-Mae Hague, Tommy Fury and Dani Dyer turned their 15 minutes into empires. But for a handful of unlucky (or maybe lucky, depending on your opinion of PrettyLittleThing haul videos) Islanders, the spotlight dimmed faster than a dumped couple’s followers.

With this year’s winners Toni and Cach still enjoying their £50k and fresh blue ticks, we’ll see whether they’re the next big reality success story… or heading for the same “wait, who?” pile as these forgotten finalists.

Paul Knops – Series four 

Paul made it all the way to the final alongside Laura Anderson, but unlike some finalists, he hasn’t exactly become a household name. Post-show, Paul kept things low-key, stepping away from the influencer grind and staying out of the limelight. He’s since focused on a more private life, leaving the fame chase behind him, although he’s still modeling.

Maxwell Samuda – Winter series nine

Maxwell brought his fair share of Casa Amor confusion – Liv was fuming, Kai picked Sanam, and Maxwell was just… there. After the show? He turned down the influencer hustle, heading back into finance with some travel and occasional #ad posts on the side.

Lauren Richardson – Series one 

Lauren made the final with Josh Ritchie back in the OG days. Josh went on to be a reality TV staple and date Charlotte Crosby. Lauren, meanwhile, exited fame completely.

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Tattooed and refreshingly un-ITV2 in vibe, she’s now a PE teacher and nutritionist, hasn’t posted on Instagram since 2021, and is clearly living her best quiet life away from the drama.

Lana Jenkins – Series nine 

When blonde bombshell Lana walked in, she looked every inch the ready-made influencer. Coupled up with Ron Hall, she glided into second place and even signed with Olivia Attwood’s management team.

But the big money brand deals never quite landed, her romance with Ron fizzled, and her career stalled. These days, she’s still living the glam Insta life to 500k followers and running a home interiors page – but the Love Island-to-A-lister pipeline? Not quite.

The moral of the story? In the villa, all roads lead to the Love Island final. Out here in the real world, some roads lead to million-pound deals, and others… back to carpentry, finance, or a PE lesson on Tuesday morning. Fame’s fickle – and next year, half of Toni and Cach’s fellow finalists could be on this list.

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Featured image by: ITV