From Love Island star to beloved Gen Z influencer

As Molly-Mae Hague prepares to open up in a new Prime Video documentary, Katie Rosseinsky looks back at her rise

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A radiant young woman is sitting in front of a camera, applying her makeup and running through her plans for the coming week. Behind her is a beautifully lit walk-in closet filled with row upon row of t-shirts and knits in various shades of grey, interspersed with designer handbags. Welcome to the world of Molly-Mae Hague, the UK’s undisputed influencer extraordinaire: here, the athleisure is always neutral, the blow dries are luxuriant and there’s always time for a quick iced latte jaunt to Gail’s. For all this luxury, though, Hague’s chatter is endearingly, well, normal: she’s at pains to point out the fact that she’s had a bit of a breakout, and that her blonde hair is scraped back in a bun. Never mind the rogue spot, I think to myself, her fake tan looks great. Can I buy it? A few clicks later, yes, I certainly can.

Since entering the Love Island villa in 2019, the now 25-year-old has built up a staggering social media following (8.3 million on Instagram and nearly 2 million subscribers on YouTube at the time of writing) and established a fashion and beauty business empire. Her next venture? Molly-Mae: Behind It All, her very own reality show, arriving on Prime Video tomorrow. Anticipation is high – because the series looks set to cover her much-discussed (well, much-discussed by everyone apart from her) split from fiancé and fellow Islander Tommy Fury, which sent shockwaves through millennial and Gen Z group chats last summer.