Love Island’s Whitney Abedayo on Life, Love, and Being Real

While this summer’s ‘Love Island’ saw Jess and Sammy take the crown, the unofficial queen of the show was arguably the runner-up, Whitney Adebayo. The London resident has won over fans with her no-nonsense approach to love and friendship, and is taking her newfound fame in her stride.

Not only is she determined to be her authentic self on her social channels, she’s recreated her successful wig brand, launched her own YouTube show, and is still successfully in a relationship with fellow Islander Lucian Nowacki four months later (sadly, Winners Jess and Sammy weren’t meant to be).

“It’s a big transition for both of us because we’re so down to earth,” she told POPSUGAR as we sat down to chat to catch up on all things Whitney’s world. “We’re basically on the same journey, but different journeys.” Her relationship with Lochan has proven any doubters wrong, with the two often sharing sweet clips on social media (“It’s the age of TikTok,” she says) as they navigate life outside the villa.

“It’s hard. It’s a balance,” she says. “Balancing relationships and work because it blurs sometimes.” Just like Whitney who we’ve followed over the summer, she’s keen to stay true to herself and keep her life private as well as sharing parts with Lochan. “Individualism is definitely key, but I feel like we’re doing a good job. And individualism.”

Whitney’s confident personality is contagious. With her refreshingly confident attitude, she claims she gets her style straight from her mother. “I don’t really believe in lying. I’m a bad liar. I’m a really bad liar,” she says. Her attitude, which saw some explosive moments in the villa with other islanders, led her to formulate her own motto: “It’s giving…”

Being comfortable in her own skin is her personality, and that translates into body confidence as well. Spending the summer in a bikini in a villa streamed by millions of people takes a certain amount of self-love, and I’ve acquired a positive mindset. “No one actually cares,” she says. “It’s like when you go to the gym, when you first start the gym, you think everyone is looking at you when the reality is everyone is thinking about their own goals. People are quite selfish.” “I feel like it all comes down to embracing yourself and knowing who you are,” she adds.

When it comes to her own endeavors, she is careful to only seize opportunities that seem real. She could have followed in the footsteps of fellow fast-fashion Islanders in landing a fashion deal – Jess has a collection with In the Style, Ella Thomas has signed with Pretty Little Thing, and Leah Taylor has become a Boohoo ambassador – but that’s not the path she wants. I wish he could follow it. “I know people expect me to do what normal people do when they come off Love Island, but that’s not me,” she says. “So I’ll only do things that align with who I am naturally.”

One of those things is her wig brand, CC Hair. Perhaps one of the reasons Whitney is so comfortable in her own skin is because she had a successful passion project before appearing on the show. “I love my afro, but it’s a protective style,” she tells us. “I started my brand in college. My ex-husband asked me to take up a hobby, and I just started it because it was something that needed to be done.”

He may have had humble beginnings, but it’s clearly something Whitney is passionate about. With the relaunch underway, she wants to spread awareness of the human hair wig industry, make it more accessible, and make sure it gets the respect it deserves. Furthermore, Whitney has set her sights on a modeling career. She recently launched her new series, “What is Giving?” On YouTube, where she explains life’s dilemmas, which she hopes will continue to grow.

Like her fellow islanders, she left the villa to a reputation that very few people can say they’ve experienced, but if you think Whitney is likely to lose herself to fame, you’re very wrong. She takes pride in surrounding herself with the friends and family she had before she appeared on the show, and her inner circle is not something she takes lightly. “If I say you’re my friend, I mean like the dictionary definition. A lot of people say it like it’s super fun. A lot of people don’t mean it when they say friend, but I’m like, if I say you’re my friend, I mean it,” she says. You know? She gives. . . And in.