Love Island 2016: what happened to Malia Arkian following Kady McDermott fight?

She's one of only two cast members to be booted off the show for breaking the rules

Kay looks at Malia in a comped image

by Asher Brandon |
Updated on

Is Love Island forever going to have a returning star? In summer 2023, the former cast mate 'doing an Adam Collard' (official term) is self described "naked fruit loop" Kady McDermott.

And we're here for it.

Kady's turn in Love Island 2016 was quite something, featuring, ahem, romps with then-boyfriend Scott Thomas, calling bombshell Tina Stinnes some very rude things indeed, and being involved in a fight that saw Malia Arkian kicked out of the villa after just hours on the show.

Shortly after entering the villa as a bombshell, Malia was involved in an argument with Kady over spilled wine and was removed from the villa after allegedly getting physical with her co-star.

Love Island Malia Kady fight
It kicked off between Malia and Kady ©ITV

Speaking to Closer a number of years following the incident, Malia said “Security removed me after an altercation with Kady. I met with the producers, where we watched the footage back and there was a report conducted. I then went to a hotel with my chaperone, where I stayed for 24 hours, with no contact with anyone."

"I was distraught and devastated. I was terrified about what people would be thinking.

“ITV have the final say on whether you leave, and they decided that I wouldn’t be let back.

"Coming home to the UK was horrible – I was trolled relentlessly, and people threw drinks at me on nights out.

"After one hour of being on TV, I got a reputation as an aggressive and violent person – which just isn’t me at all. I was depressed and didn’t want to leave the house."

“The thing is, the casting agents really had to persuade me to go on the show. It’s crazy to think that after all that, they removed me from the villa without even showing my side of the story, so the viewers couldn’t even decide.

"Love Island is huge, and it’s a platform for a great career, but my chance of an amazing life was destroyed in a few hours. Luckily I had a really strong support system around me, and I met my boyfriend shortly after, who was a huge help to getting me feeling OK again."

What is Malia Arkian doing now?

Frankly, she seems to be having a great time of it and appears loved-up with her footballer fiancé Hope Akpan and their daughter Halo.

She also has a wholesome new career that's much more smoothie than Savvy Blanc, as she's co-owner of The Plant Boost, who offer 'the art of nourishment' and are based in Hale, Cheshire, haunt of The Real Housewives of Cheshire.

Former Real Housewives star Magali Gorre has even appeared in one of the cafe's social promotions, holding a rose infused pink pitaya bowl that looks FIT.

Kady's ex Scott is also a fan of the fruity cafe, calling it a "taste of paradise".

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