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Anyone who watches the infamous Love Island on ITV knows that it’s the place to find love and also to set yourself up for a career if you win.
Which can be said for recent contestant, Samie Elishi, 22, who appeared on this year’s roundup of loved up couples, coming third in the Winter Love Island season.
But apparently the estate agent co-ordinator from London wasn’t in it for the boyfriend, she was actually there to claim her fame.
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Weeks after filming ended, Samie and then-boyfriend Tom Clare, 23, appeared on video to talk about why they really decided to go on the show, shortly before publicly announcing their breakup.
After the pair were spotted living their lives separately, an official announcement was made that they were no longer together to everyone’s surprise.
The sunned-up beauty brutally dropped the bomb that she only went on Love Island for fame in a clip that has circulated around social media just hours after their split was released.
The YouTube show hosted by former Love Islander, Chloe Burrows, invited Samie and Tom to chat about their experience.
Samie was then asked the big question: “Did you go on Love Island for love or did you go on for exposure?”
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To which she replied: “I’m going to be honest, mine was the second one. I didn’t expect to meet anyone.”
Even though Samie spoke very bluntly about how she felt, it certainly was a different answer than what Tom gave, who was awkwardly sat beside his then-girlfriend.
The footballer admitted: “I think mine was I really wanted to meet someone, but in the first two weeks I was like, ‘I’m stuffed here, there’s no one for me.’”
Interrupting Tom, Samie seemed to want to set the record straight about the expectations on going on the show, loudly declaring: “It’s f***ing Love Island!”
Not only did it seem as though fame was the end goal for going on the dating show, but at every cost.
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Such as the case with Chloe’s own experience of forcing her own relationships just so she could stay.
She shared to the couple: “I obviously didn’t fancy Hugo. The producers were like ‘Come on’, so I went and chatted to him but I was like, ‘Nah, I can’t do it. Sorry can’t do it!’
“I was thinking ‘I want to stay in here, boy’ so I’m going to chat to whoever you want me to chat to. I’ll do whatever you want.”
Fortunately, she didn’t need to keep chatting to Hugo and found her match in fellow Love Islander, Toby Aromolaran who joined her runner up in the 2021 series.
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Though they didn’t last and split in October 2022, ex Toby has claimed that couples will attempt the one year mark on their relationship after leaving the villa as 'that’s when the contract’s up’.
On the recent breakup, a source told The Sun: “Samie and Tom have sadly decided to call it a day. There is a lot of love and respect there but it just wasn’t going anywhere.”
“The distance between them was too much and they are both really focused on their careers post Love Island.”
Following a long list of contenders who didn’t last outside of the villa, what does this mean for the rest of the couples?
Featured Image Credit: Instagram/@samieelishiTopics: Love Island, TV And Film, Celebrity, Sex and Relationships