Love Island’s Jess Shears had a WILD pre-fame job

The Love Island 2017 star is still loved-up with Dom Lever

Jessica Shears

by Nathan Katnoria |
Published on

Now that ITV churn out multiple series of Love Island a year (not that we’re complaining, mind), it’s getting harder and harder to keep up with all of the Islanders that rise to fame on the show.

It’s probably been a while since you’ve heard the name Jess Shears, right? She joined as a bombshell on Love Island 2017 when she controversially entered the villa and immediately stole Dom Lever from Montana Brown.

It all worked out in the end as Jess is now married to Dom and they’ve got two children together (more on that later) and Montana is engaged to her baby daddy, former rugby player Mark O’Connor.

But something that we never realised about Jess is that she had a completely unexpected job before she was on the ITV2 show and, frankly, it’s kinda wild.

Jess Shears and Dom Lever
Love Island 2017 couple Jess and Dom are still going strong almost seven years later ©David M. Benett/Dave Benett/WireImage

Alongside her work as a model, it turns out Jess was a trained professional wrestler before finding fame.

“I have always loved wrestling. I used to play it on PlayStation when I was a kid and watch it all the time on Saturdays and Sundays,” she once said in an interview.

“As I’ve got older I’ve played sport professionally in other areas and I thought why not. The Rock is so charismatic and it was always captivating watching him.”

But instead of using her training as a wrestler after leaving the villa, Jess launched a successful career as an influencer. Want to know more about what she’s doing now? Allow us to fill you in…

Who is Jess Shears?

Jess is a model and influencer who rose to fame in 2017 on the third series of Love Island.

How old is Jess Shears?

Born on 11 June 1993, Jess is currently 30 years old.

Where is Jess Shears from?

She's originally from Devon.

Jess Shears
Jess now works as an influencer after finding fame ©Shirlaine Forrest/Getty Images

When was Jess Shears on Love Island?

Jess was the first Love Island bombshell on series three in 2017, entering the villa on day one just after the first five couples had coupled up. She was tasked with choosing one boy to poach from their partner, and she opted to take Dom Lever from Montana Brown.

Jess and Dom remained a couple for the rest of her time in the villa, but she was dumped on day 17.

Are Jess and Dom from Love Island still together?

They certainly are. The couple rekindled their romance in the outside world when Dom was dumped from the villa and they've been together ever since.

When did Jess Shears and Dom Lever get married?

Jess and Dom tied the knot in 2018, just a year into their relationship. They married in an intimate ceremony on the Greek Island of Mykonos.

"We really wanted an intimate wedding and we knew we couldn't have had that in the UK. Going abroad meant we didn't have any pressure to invite every Tom, Dick and Harry," Dom told OK! magazine at the time.

Does Jess Shears have children?

Jess and Dom have two sons, four-year-old Presley and another son, who was born in June 2022. "Feeling blessed 🤎 a family of four," Jess wrote on Instagram at the time.

What is Jess Shears' Instagram?

You can join Jess' one million followers on Instagram at @jessica_rose_uk.

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