Since series one launched in 2015, Love Island has transformed contestants into successful influencers as they are plummeted into the public eye gaining thousands of followers overnight.
Following their appearance on the show, islanders are able to capitalize on their new platform to build a prominent career within the competitive world of social media.
We look at which UK Love Islanders gained the most Instagram followers after their appearance on the hit ITV dating show.
(All figures are correct at the time of writing)
Molly Mae Hague - 8.5M
@mollymae
Following her bombshell performance in series 5, Molly Mae Hague's career has flourished since exiting the villa to become one of the biggest names out of Love Island. Prior to her appearance, Molly Mae was already pursuing the influencer lifestyle as she entered with between 100,000-150,000 followers, giving her a head start.
Since coming in second place with current partner Tommy Fury, Molly Mae has continued to capture followers on multiple social media platforms, with over 2M YouTube subscribers where she shares motherhood life with her daughter.
Upon her villa exit, Molly Mae immediately created multiple large scale collection deals with popular clothing brand Pretty Little Thing before being appointed creative director in 2021.
Since then, she has created her own clothing brand named Maebe alongside filming the creation process on her own Amazon Prime limited series: 'Molly-Mae: Behind It All'.
Within the industry, the 'Molly-Mae effect' refers to her immense influence on consumer trends and marketing within social media exampling her success since leaving Love Island.
Tommy Fury - 5.1M
@tommyfury
Before entering the villa in the summer of 2019, Tommy Fury had his debut pro boxing appearance only one year prior. As half-brother to celebrated heavyweight British boxer Tyson Fury, Tommy was already a known name on social media.
Tommy's Instagram following quickly surged during his time in the villa as he his 1M followers on day 16 of Love Island.
After finishing the show, Tommy appeared on his own ITV2 spin-off with fellow islander Curtis Pritchard.
He returned to professional boxing to include Misfits Influencer matches fighting KSI and Jake Paul.
Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu - 4.2M
@ekinsuofficial
After winning series 8 with Davide Sanclimenti, Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu gained fame through her performance and bold personality on Love Island. During her appearance, she engaged fans through shocking and hilarious moments featured on the show.
Post-villa TV appearances include: 'Dancing On Ice' (2023), 'The Traitors US' (2024) and 'Celebrity Big Brother' (2024).
Ekin-Su returned for Love Island All Stars series 2 as a the first bombshell where she came in third place with partner Curtis Pritchard.
Maura Higgins - 4M
@maurahiggins
Before finding fame, Maura Higgins found success as a ring girl before becoming the ultimate bombshell.
Since leaving Love Island, Maura has found international fame through her work on social media and TV.
After pursuing a career in modeling, Maura continued to appear on reality TV in shows such as: 'Dancing On Ice' (2020), 'Cooking with the Stars' (2022), 'I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!' (2024) and most recently 'The Traitors US' (2026).
More recently, the Irish superstar gained status in the States as she presents Aftersun for Love Island USA and Games.
Maura's global presence has boosted her popularity online and social media following.
Dani Dyer - 3.7M
@danidyerxx
Another Love Island winner, Dani Dyer ranks up in the greats for her Instagram followers. Dani already had a baseline of followers due to her father Danny Dyer's TV fame although her appearance on the hit reality show greatly increased her statistics.
Dani also had a ITV spin off with fellow winner Jack Fincham titled: Jack & Dani: Life After Love Island.
Dani posts lifestyle content on social media sharing life as a mother of three. In 2025 she famously married West Ham and England player Jarrod Bowen.
The reality star was due to join the cast of 'Strictly Come Dancing' in 2025 however, had to pull out side to fracturing her ankle.
Kem Cetinay - 3.5M
@kemcetinay
Hairdresser from Essex was a fan favourite during his appearance on Love Island leading him to win with Amber Davies.
Following his famous bromance with Chris Hughes on series 3, the pair managed to reach number 15 in the UK charts with their grime single: "Little Bit Leave It"
Kem Cetinay continued to appear on reality TV as a contestant on 'Dancing on Ice' (2018) and 'Celebrity MasterChef' (2021).
Kem also developed his career to focus on TV presenting with as he worked on 'Good Morning Britain', 'Dancing on Ice' and 'This Morning'.
Since 2024, Kem presents 'The Capital Weekender' on Friday and Saturday which he shares on his social media channels.
Olivia Bowen - 3M
@oliviadbowen
After finishing runner up with now husband, Alex Bowen, Olivia Bowen has become one of the most successful influencers from the show.
On social media, Olivia shares authentic family and parent life making her content relatable to her millions of followers.
In 2025, the couple debuted their own ITV show - 'Olivia & Alex: Parenthood'.
Olivia Attwood - 2.5M
@olivia_attwood
After her first TV appearance in 2017, Olivia Attwood has launched a successful career as TV presenter.
Known for her famous one liners on Love Island, Olivia grew a strong fan base on social media to share her witty sense of humour with.
Since then, she has several reality TV credits alongside presenting ITV documentaries: 'Olivia Attwood: Getting Filthy Rich' and 'Olivia Attwood: The Price of Perfection'.
Olivia has appeared on multiple global podcasts alongside hosting her own - 'Olivia's House'.
Amber Gill - 2.3M
@amberrosegill
Amber Gill won Love Island in 2019 with Greg O'Shea before being dumped via text message just weeks after winning 50K.
Since her appearance in the villa, Amber has grown her social media to become a successful content creator.
On her channels, she advocates for mental health and representation allowing her to grow a strong fan base and following on Instagram.
Dr Alex George - 2.2M
@dralexgeorge
Despite not finding love in the villa in 2018, Dr Alex George shares his passion for medicine on his large social media channels. He also returned part time as an A&E doctor following his Love Island appearance before shifting to focus on public health and mental fitness using his platform.
Dr Alex actively works with the UK government and takes the role of UK Youth Mental Health Ambassador.
Dr Alex hosts his own podcast titled 'Stompcast' which encourages to walk for their mental and physical health.
