LOVE Island star Chris Williamson has completely transformed his life since his time in the villa - and nearly a decade on he’s a millionaire.
The 35-year-old Stockton-On-Tees native first made a bid for fame in 2012, appearing on Paddy McGuinness dating show Take Me Out.
Three years later, Chris was part of the original line-up of Love Island - appearing alongside Josh Ritchie, Hannah Elizabeth and Luis Morrison in a quest for romance and £50,000.
Lasting just under two weeks, Chris coupled up with three women but ultimately it didn’t work out for them, and he was dumped from the villa.
However, nine years on and his time in the Majorca house is barely a blip on his radar.
Now an entrepreneur and interviewer, Chris has made millions of fans online with his Modern Wisdom podcast.
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He says the show is “life lessons from the greatest thinkers on the planet”, with previous guests including Jordan Peterson, North Korean human rights activist Yeonmi Park, and businessman Alex Hormozi.
His episodes cover everything a listener needs to understand themselves more’ - from fitness tips to relationship advice, money advice and mental health.
On YouTube, he’s accrued 1.86million subscribers and 400million views at the time of writing.
This is only improved more on podcast services like Spotify and Apple Music.
Chris does not look back fondly on his time on Love Island, stating in a chat with Saida Khan he was ‘pretty bored’ and having an ‘existential crisis’ while in the villa.
He told BBC: "I was living this persona of the professional party boy - the big name on campus, the guy with the hair out front [of the club], that wanted people to need him, that thought he had found the culture and industry he belonged in.
"Then I got on to Love Island and had nowhere to hide from people who were the person I was pretending to be.
"I was there with people who were genuinely extroverted, outgoing, party people. And I was just playing a role… I'd convinced myself [Love Island] was something that made me finally belong. And I didn't belong."
He added he thought the show taught people that ‘love is a game to be played’ and ‘disposable’ rather than something to fight for.
However, Chris noted he 'enjoyed the bromance with the guys' while he was in there and missed them when he was dumped, despite not having any romantic connection with the girls.
