‘I was stuck’: Love Island’s Toni reveals tragic way she spent £50k prize money a year on

Toni from Love Island has finally revealed how she spent her half of the £50k prize money, and it’s not what we expected.

Last summer, Toni became the first-ever American to win Love Island UK, alongside her then-partner Cach. As part of the big three, Toni has been everywhere this past year, from huge modelling campaigns to big-budget advertisements with fellow Islanders Yasmin and Shakira.

But underneath all of that, Toni has revealed she was going through a really hard time. As an American, she was unable to make any money in the UK without getting a work visa sorted, which can take months.

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“It was scary,” Toni said in a new interview with The Big Issue. “I was lost. I was reaching out to management because that’s what gets the ball rolling for you. I’m so thankful for my team because they’ve made all of this somewhat digestible.”

“As much as it is hard, it was rewarding. It’s a lot of love. It’s not like people are throwing tomatoes at me on the street. I think people resonated with my story. I’m proud of myself at the end of the day. These last six months have been really hard. But I know it will all be worth it.”

A couple of months ago, Toni revealed she was “homeless” after Love Island, a statement which lots of people assumed was an exaggeration. But the 25-year-old has clarified that it was true, and revealed how she was forced to spend her £25k.

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“I didn’t have a home. I was living in hotels and Airbnbs. I was viewing apartments, and estate agents wouldn’t show up. It’s not like that in America,” she explained. “They go based on credit score. I worked for years to have a perfect credit score. When I came here, it was like my hard work was forgotten about.”

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The influencer continued: “Not many people can pay six months of rent up front. My entire prize fund went to rent. I was living off savings from my regular job because I couldn’t work here. Not to mention paying for all those Airbnbs and hotels – they weren’t free.”

Thankfully, she has now settled into her own place, and although she’s expressed having a hard time mentally for the past few months, she’s a lot more settled than she was just a few months ago.

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