Since winning the show last year, Amber’s life has changed dramatically. Having had numerous collaborations with clothing brands, as well as various invitations to awards shows and ceremonies, there was nothing Amber could have done to anticipate this sudden change in lifestyle, ‘I’ve just done things that are a little bit out of this world, especially for someone who’s just grown up in North Wales and has always been inspired by and had really big role models that are in this industry. Obviously as well it’s really helped me to grow up, I’m a different human being now and I definitely cherish my private life a lot more.’ She also describes how fame and life in the spotlight perhaps isn’t quite what you would expect, ‘Being in the public eye is so much different to what I thought it would be, I know everyone thinks ‘oh but it’s a glamorous life’ but it’s so much pressure and every move you do is getting judged, so you have to really thicken your skin’.
For Amber however, it was never about the fame. Having applied to Love Island on a whim and not given her application too much thought, Amber was then unexpectedly confronted with having to choose between going on the show, or pursuing another career opportunity, ‘I decided to take the one that was riskier because I think life’s too short, so it was just kind of like a big risk really. There wasn’t any specific reason, I didn’t wanna be famous it wasn’t like that, it all just kind of happened.’ Luckily for her, that risked paid off, and this past year has been a complete whirlwind. She describes how some of her favourite highlights have included attending award shows, ‘I go to these evenings and I get to present awards to really inspiring people, I just love that, I always come home feeling really good’. On top of that, ‘Walking up a red carpet, that experience, it’s one of the best feelings you can have, and just meeting loads of people I was obsessed with when I was younger like Girls Aloud,’ It comes as no surprise Amber describes this past year as being the best year of her life!
It seems the world is currently Amber’s oyster, but where will her plans take her next? Having spent years training in musical theatre, Amber mentions how she would one day love to return to it, ‘I’m an absolute musical theatre geek I love it, so that is definitely something I’d do, it was a massive dream of mine when I was younger, and for years I had trained so hard for it, so I definitely wanna be on the west end one day.’ However for now, Amber is happy to keep her face on the silver screen and perhaps stay in reality TV for a little bit longer, ‘It’s fun, it’s such a fun industry to be in because you don’t have to be a character you just have to be yourself.’ She also expresses her love for fashion and wanting to stay in that industry too, ‘Ever since I was little I’ve always been a fashionista’. However, it must be hard to think about plans for the future, when there is so much happening already in the present ‘We have a busy year ahead of us anyway just whole new Love Island and there are a few shows that are popping up that are in the pipeline.’
Having appeared on a show that has proven particularly popular amongst a young audience, Amber has gained many young fans, and whilst being very grateful and flattered by all the love and support, she is also very aware of the responsibility this carries, ‘That’s another reason I’ve had to grow up a little bit because I have 1.6 million followers and there is a lot of responsibility to be a certain way’ she describes, ‘it is a lot of pressure but you can’t do everything right obviously, but I just try to be the best person I can be and try to be a role model, because my fanbase starts from a very young age.’ Amber is also incredibly humbled by all the love she has been receiving from her fanbase, ‘There’s so much more love than hate so it’s a lovely feeling, you know I get some lovely messages and I see everyone’s, I see everyone’s messages, so I really appreciate it’
When it comes to her time spent in the Villa, there is nothing she would’ve changed, ‘I met friends for life, I met a guy that I really really like, I won the show, and the experience was just life changing so I wouldn’t change a single thing’. Thanks to the magic of reality TV editing however, people may not always come across in the way they see themselves, ‘It wasn’t in my control, but I think by the end I got edited the way I deserved to be, I really was myself throughout the entire process and I think what sets me aside is I am very down to earth, I am just a very normal human being and I think the public saw that by the end, I think they thought, ’you know, this girl’s not in here for the fame’’.
Of course, her rollercoaster relationship with Kem also had the viewers hooked, ‘I think the audience and the public really invested in our relationship, and I think they came on the journey with us, and they felt our highs and our lows so they really felt connected to our relationship’. But does she still stay in touch with the islanders? ‘Me, Montana, Georgia, and Liv still have a whatsapp group so we’re all very much in contact with each other, obviously I have a very good relationship with Liv she’s going to be a friend for life for me, you know we are each other’s support system it was so lovely to have someone like her out in the villa as well.’ Amber also describes how she often sees the boys from the Villa at events, ‘We’ve all shared such an amazing experience together but the closest that I stay in contact with is definitely the girls’.
Not only were there challenges on the island itself, but after having left Amber also had some of her own, and describes how nervous she felt about hearing her mum’s reaction, ‘I was anxious because obviously I’d done two things, I’d obviously had fun… and I smoked, and those were things I was really anxious about but I swear she did not care she was so proud of me and so proud of the journey that I had been through, she did not have a bad word to say’.
Having left the Island victorious last year, Amber is certainly an expert in knowing what it takes to win, so we wanted to know if any Islanders have already caught her attention, ‘I think Kendall’s adorable, you can tell she’s a really nice person. I like Hayley, I think she’s sassy and I think we need those characters in there, and Alex! Oh my gosh the doctor is breaking my heart, he’s so lovely and the whole of Britain is behind him! He doesn’t need to worry if he doesn’t find a girl because the whole of the UK loves him.’
She also had plenty of advice for the new islanders, with the main message being to just relax and have fun! ‘They’re all kind of going in head first and committing straight away, and overthinking everything and I’m like ‘no don’t do that!’ Because when you get to week 5 or 6 that’s when you can start crying. Don’t take it so seriously, your stay in the villa will happen the way it will happen, and no one needs to force anything yet.’ It must also be surreal to see brand new islanders go through the exact same experiences, ‘I can relate to a lot of them like sometimes I just really want to go in there and give them some advice, but it’s so lovely to see another bunch of people experience what I went through.’ Amber is not completely done with the island either, discussing how she is also working a lot on this year’s show and is ready to hand over the baton, ‘I’m not envious or jealous in any way, I’ve had my time and now it’s time for others to experience it.’
When it comes to Love Island, it is often the swimwear that takes centre stage with the app even showing you how to get the look. We wanted to know what is Amber’s go-to beach look for this year? ‘My go to look would definitely be a pair of sunglasses, nice big bag to carry all your stuff in, a very nice chic swimsuit or bikini and I’m loving a neck scarf at the moment’. When it comes to style she’s all about the clean-cut modern look, ‘I’m not for florals or frills or stuff like that, my outfits are very much one look rather than a load of different looks’.
And finally of course, at Bluebella, we wanted to know just what impact great lingerie has on the way Amber feels, ‘If I’m wearing a gorgeous lingerie set, I genuinely feel like I can conquer the world, it’s just a way of feeling confident and that little bit more complete and put together, it’s like who would wear odd socks? So it’s kind of like that for me with lingerie. If it doesn’t match, it kind of doesn’t feel right. And I guess you always just feel confident and prepared, you’ve got everything together, you don’t need a man when you’ve got your lingerie set.’
