Reality TV stars who went back to day jobs – from Andy Abraham, Greg O’Shea to Ray Quinn

Getting on a reality TV show can mean a passport to fame, riches and a luxury lifestyle.

Take a look at Molly Mae Hague who used Love Island as a platform to launch her fashion career. Recently, she signed a huge seven-figure deal for PrettyLittleThing.

Some people end up working again, such as Georgia Townend, who returned to her Lidl position this week.

After entering the Love Island around half-way through, the blonde was fired from the villa two days later.

Now she’s back working as a marketing executive for the budget supermarket, joking: “Yes I work for @lidlgb and yes that’s likely a contributing factor as to why my time in the villa was so short.

‘It’s been instilled into me my entire career that checkouts should be as speedy as possible.”

Daily Star has taken a look at other reality stars who went back to their day jobs.

Greg O’Shea

The Irish rugby player won Love Island in 2019 with Geordie Amber Gill and amassed a whopping one million Instagram followers but found he wasn’t keen on the showbiz lifestyle.

Instead he chose to concentrate on sport and made the Tokyo Olympics with Ireland’s rugby sevens team, just missing out on a quarter-final place.

Greg, 26, said: “It is common knowledge you don’t get paid a lot in sevens.

“I could have easily gone down the celebrity route, moved to London and make my hundreds of thousands like everyone else does. I was like, ‘No, I am coming home.’

“I couldn’t sit over in London on my high horse and watch the boys training and maybe getting to the Olympics. This is the pinnacle of sport and we did it.”

Anna Vakili

Anna starred on 2019’s Love Island, where her romance with Jordan Hames came to an abrupt end after he tried it on with India Reynolds.

She became a social media influencer after the show, but the pandemic struck and she decided to return to her former job as a pharmacist.

She had previously talked about prejudice at work due to her looks, but she took advantage of her new platform and spoke out.

Anna, 31, urged Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak to back “pharmacy heroes” with greater financial support and more PPE.

Theo Campbell

The 400m runner caused trouble in the Love Island villa in 2017 when he stole Tyler Carr from a fuming Johnny Mitchell.

Theo, now 30, was injured and later returned to running after being blinded in his right eye by a champagne cork accident.

He revealed the show rekindled his love for sport, saying: “It was only after living the high life for a certain amount of time I realised that I had put five or six years of work into this…what was the point of giving up?”

Andy Abraham

X Factor’s Singing Binman was runner-up to Shayne Ward in 2005 and went on to land a record deal, sell out the Royal Albert Hall and represent the UK at Eurovision.

Andy was then dropped from his label, declared bankrupt and sold out the Royal Albert Hall.

He was performing in panto, and working as an event performer until last year. Then, Covid struck.

Andy, 57, said: “I’m literally singing out there as I was during the X Factor show. I’m back to being the official singing binman, which is kind of cool.”

Ray Quinn

After finishing runner-up on the X Factor to winner Leona Lewis in 2006, Ray went on to win ITV’s Dancing On Ice in 2009.

He was later cast in Hollyoaks, and he became a regular on the stage.

He was another victim to the pandemic. His work dried up last year, and he took a Hermes delivery driver job. However, he quit after three months as he found it too overwhelming.

Ray, 33, joined his family’s business to become a carpet-fitter with Robin and Darren.

He said: “It’s good to have another trade under your belt – especially during these times.”

Dr Alex George

Dr Alex starred on Love Island in 2018 and went on to gain 1.3million Instagram followers and dish out medical knowledge on Good Morning Britain.

But five months after leaving the villa, he went back to his job in A&E.

He said: “Love Island was the experience of a lifetime, but ever since I left the villa I’ve genuinely missed working for the NHS.

“I trained for years for the opportunity to help people, and I can’t wait to get back to doing what I love.”

The 30-year-old now combines frontline work with his role as the government’s Youth Mental Health Ambassador.

Rachel Fenton

Rachel, 29, was on Love Island in 2016 but chose to turn her back on fame and return to normal life as an orthopaedic nurse.

She said: “I have no regrets at all and I will always be happy with how I acted in there.

“I love my job. It was nice to go back to it after the show. People always ask me about my time in the villa and I will always happily talk about it.

“But I am proud that I have a career in nursing too. It’s much more important to me. We’re helping people and saving lives.”

Chloe-Jasmine Whichello

X Factor’s Chloe – best remembered for dating fellow contestant Stevi Ritchie – had previously appeared in modelling show The Face, where she was mentored by Naomi Campbell.

She was on the singing program in 2014, but was removed from the show during the second week.

Chloe was paired with Stevi on Celebrity Big Brother 2015, but the couple split in 2016.

The 31-year old has been back in modeling and has walked the runway for designers like Vivienne Westwood.