Being a contestant on Love Island and becoming a social media influencer seemingly goes hand in hand. So, we spoke to Luca Bish to find out why he decided to go against the grain.
When an individual exits the Love Island villa, their career route is likely to go in a certain way.
Social media, influencing, events, clothing collaborations, beauty releases and so on. It’s a well-trodden trail, and one that’s proved successful with many a past contestant, winner or otherwise.
But Luca Bish, who took part in Love Island back in 2022, has taken the path less travelled, opting instead to pursue ventures better suited to his personality and interests. But, with the money that social media stardom notoriously brings, it begs the question, why shun away from it all?
View this post on Instagram
“When you leave a show like Love Island, and you aren’t interested in returning to your original job, you feel this expectation to become an influencer,” explains Luca. He chats to me while recovering from a torn ACL, an injury sustained while playing football with friends.
“There’s an expectation to follow this route, and it’s kind of forced upon you in a sense, but it was never for me.”
These days, some controversy surrounds the hit reality show as viewers question whether contestants are only going on for fame and fortune, rather than its intended purpose (to find love).
If we can acknowledge that the show is more about commercial opportunities than romantic, it seems surprising that someone who shies away from influencer life would go on at all, especially someone who’s amassed over a million Instagram followers since appearing. But Luca maintains that influencing was never his intention to begin with.
“I wasn’t interested in social media much before the villa — my Instagram account used to be on private — and I just haven’t changed,” says Luca. He also points to the sheer magnitude of public opinion that’s thrown on social media stars, saying that, despite having thick skin, he prefers to focus on the opinion of family and friends.
“If you can do social media and enjoy it, then that’s great, and there are so many people out there who are incredible at it and have a passion for the career. I’m just not good at it, and I have no interest in pretending.”
How to deal with societal pressure
“One of the things that I did learn from Love Island was that anything external can’t hurt me. People are always going to have opinions, that’s part and parcel of life, and all you really need to care about is the opinion of your circle.”
He goes on to reference his friendship with the Irish professional boxer and MMA fighter Conor McGregor, noting that despite Conor’s international fame, he’s never let public criticism phase him.
View this post on Instagram
In terms of blocking out the noise, Luca points to spending time with friends as being his favourite form of self-care.
“Just going out with the boys, going for dinner, playing football or even just watching my friends play football,” he explains. “When it comes to my mental health, it does me a lot better to spend time with the people that know me best rather than dwelling and overthinking things on my own.”
He also emphasises the benefits he’s found in embracing passions and interests, despite what others may think. After leaving the show, Luca doubted whether he’d return to TV, but opted to try his hand at Celebrity MasterChef last year due to his interest in cooking and desire to try something new.
View this post on Instagram
Having made it all the way to the final, Luca notes that it’s when you’re doing something that you truly enjoy, that people see the best of you and, in turn, you feel best in yourself.
