Zara Holland: “Love Island was a rollercoaster I wasn’t prepared for”

Surprisingly our favourite ever Love Island contestant Ovie wasn't scouted or approached - he applied himself.He said on This Morning: "I went in because of my big brother, funnily enough. "Because I'm always sort of travelling and stuff because of basketball, I'm only ever really around in the summer times. I came back and Love Island always seems to be the big deal and he was like, 'Man, you'd be great on that show if you went on there' and I didn't think anything of it. "I ended up applying when I had some downtime and yeah, now I'm sort of here."

Anton was one of the six 2019 contestants who actually applied for the show.He told us: "I went through the whole application process. I did the first one-minute video and from there I met producers, then I had a medical and then I met the executive producers and then I was ready to go."

Casa Amor bombshell Belle revealed it was her famous dad Tamer Hassan who helped get her on the show."I had a conversation with my dad and he asked me if I wanted to do the show."I didn't really think much of it and before I knew it one of his friends [got me in contact] with someone at ITV and then I did the audition and started the application process," she told us.

Amy was another star who actually applied for the show but she confessed her little brother was reluctant for her to go on the reality show."We're quite a close family and my little brother wasn't happy with me to start with because of all the trolling and his friends having to watch me on TV."But by the time I went on there everyone was really supportive. I was actually really lucky - I found out six weeks before I went [in the villa]."

Despite only 6 of the 36 Love Island 2019 stars actually applying for the show, sandwich maker Joe Garrett has confessed he was one of them.Speaking to Closer Online, he recalled: "I sent a video in and had like 3/4 interviews. I had medicals and stuff like that. It's a proper rigorous process."

Despite being booted out the villa it seems Love Island bosses were keen to get Sherif on the show because they actually approached him.He revealed to Closer magazine: "I was scouted no more than three weeks ago, I literally [had] no time to think about it. I went straight into the shoots, straight into filming."I was working close to the ITV studio, I was going to get lunch and I just turned round and one of the execs was like, 'Hi, have you heard of Love Island?'"There was so much racing through my head. He asked for my details. I walked back to eat my food and had someone texting me, asking, 'Can you come in to do some initial filming?'"Fast forward three weeks, and here I am."Interesting.

Love Island 2018 star Paul Knops has confessed that it was one of his friends who got him on the show."Initially I was approached by a friends who was going on another show and they put me forward to go on that show. So I went in and spoke to the producers for that and then they said they will keep me in mind for Love Island."I was away on holiday and they gave me a call and they said 'Can you come on the show, we need you to leave tomorrow' and it was for Casa Amor," he told Closer Online.He went on to say: "I said 'no it wasn't the right time for me' and then over the course of the next two weeks I had a few messages for them and I just decided I'd give it a go."

Love Island 2017 winner Kem Cetinay actually got scouted on Instagram. He explained: "I had a barber Instagram where I did my tutorials and it was quite big, it was doing really well. Then they messaged me off that randomly and was like do you want to come in. "I still went through the whole process; I did the audition, questionnaires and some of the video camera shots."

Chris Hughes got on the show by simply applying on the ITV website: "I was one of the very few – I remember talking to some of the producers and executives after the show – who did the whole thing. "I signed up online, went through all the stages, did the questionnaires. I did the standard protocol, I was never approached."

Kendall Rae Knight followed in the footsteps as Chris and went online to get on the show."I applied just through the ITV website. I was just normal; I worked at a shoe shop no one approached me and I didn't have an agent. I went through all the stages," she told us at the NTAs.

Sam Bird was actually set to go on another show, luckily things didn't work out and he went on Love Island instead. He revealed at the NTAs: "I got approached for a different show - Survival of the Fittest - and I was meant to go on that but it didn't happen."The producers [who work on both the shows] said try Love Island instead. I said 'alright' and then I auditioned, so I kind of got approached."

Megan Barton Hanson was already popular on Instagram and that grabbed the producers attention. She admitted: "I never had an agent but I had an Instagram and I had quite a few followers on it so I just got picked up that way. "I was really hesitant at first because obviously Instagram is your filtered, photoshopped best version of yourself and I was like 'I'm happy to share that but do I actually want to go on national TV with everyone seeing me with no makeup on?' but I'm glad I did it."

Samira's admitted that she was actually meant to go on Love Island back in 2017."I was meant to go on last year as a bombshell and it just didn't work out."Then I got Dreamgirls and one of the producers watched it and I was just chatting to him and then I went in [to audition] a couple of times and then got on Love Island."

Alexandra was kind of a someone - she's appeared in Giggs' music video and was a makeup artist - before her Love Island stint and that helped her get on the show."I got an interview through my current agent but I knew him prior to going on the show - from being a makeup artist. So he put me forward for the show."

We're sensing a theme here because Eyal Booker is another star who got on the show through Instagram."I got approached through Instagram but then I had to audition for it. It kind of happened a few years in a row but I just kept umming and ahhing and then [2018] just felt like the right time."