Matthew MacNabb says he suffered from imposter syndrome and felt ‘like a fraud’ on Love Island

Love Island 2021 bombshell Matthew MacNabb has opened up about his struggles since leaving the show and how he dealt with “imposter syndrome” while being on the reality TV series.

Matthew was a Casa Amor bombshell in 2021 and was briefly in a couple with Kaz Kamwi before they split and he was later dumped from the villa. In an interview with Spin Genie, Matthew revealed it has taken him two years to get his life back to normal.

When Matthew entered Casa Amor, he said it felt difficult to make his Love Island debut. He said: “I felt like a fraud, like I shouldn’t have been there in a way. All the original boys were out of the villa and we just came in. The girls didn’t know us at that point and you had to build a connection, but in the back of their minds they were with another person.

“It was weird. It was like trying to take over being someone else’s boyfriend. It did feel odd, so that was the main thing for me.”

via Instagram @matthew_macnabb

Matthew was in the villa for 16 days and after being dumped from the show, he found it difficult knowing his “position in life”. It’s been two years since he starred on the show and Matthew says he still has “difficulties of imposter syndrome”.

“You can go to big nightclubs and events, but it didn’t feel real to me. That was the biggest struggle, trying to find my old self and connecting it with my new reality,” he added. Matthew said it was “weird” coming out of the villa as the same person but in a different circumstance due to new found fame.

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He said: “It’s absolutely mad. I remember going to a festival after the villa in Belfast and one of my friends got me tickets for the VIP side. I had to walk across the general admission and I swear to god, it was like I was Justin Bieber. My sister-in-law was with me and she got elbowed in the face by girls trying to get to me. It’s such a big show.”

via ITV

Matthew also opened up about how tough it was being on Love Island due to losing one of his close friends before going on the show. He said: “That was really tough and it impacted the entire experience for me. It was in the back of my mind. I probably would have been more loud and enthusiastic if that wasn’t the case.”

Matthew has since gone on to star in Dancing With The Stars Ireland and got the semi-finals. Matthew met his current girlfriend, Laura Nolan, on the show and he described her as his bro and girlfriend all in one.

Love Island 2023 continues at 9pm on ITV2 and ITVX. For all the latest Love Island news and gossip and for the best memes and quizzes, like The Holy Church of Love Island on Facebook.

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Featured image credit via Instagram @matthew_macnabb and ITV.