‘I was finished with the whole celebrity thing’ – Love Island’s first ever winner looks completely unrecognisable with wild bushy beard 20 years after reality fame and reveals why he walked away from it all - suong

   

THE first ever winner of Love Island looked unrecognisable as he showed off a big bushy beard 20 years after doing the show. 

Celebrity Love Island kicked off in 2005 and starred famous faces including Atomic Kitten’s Liz McClarnon and EastEnders hunk Michael Greco. 

Fran Cosgrave Love Island
3
Fran Cosgrave looked very different in a new social media snapCredit: Instagram
Celebrity Love Island
3
He starred in the very first series of Celebrity Love Island in 2005Credit: ITV
Mandatory Credit: Photo by REX/Shutterstock (527087o) Fran Cosgrave and Jayne Middlemiss 'CELEBRITY LOVE ISLAND' TV PROGRAMME, FIJI - 21 JUN 2005
3
He won the series with TV presenter Jayne MiddlemissCredit: Shutterstock

But it was Fran Cosgrave - who at the time was a former bodyguard for boyband Westlife - and TV presenter Jayne Middlemiss who won the show. 

Now two decades on Fran, 47, looks very different from his time in the luxury Fiji villa in a new social media snap. 

Before heading into the villa he dated Natasha Hamilton from 2001 until 2002, and the former couple share son Josh, 21. 

But Fran made the decision to quit fame and lives mostly out of the spotlight these days. 

He made the switch from TV to music and is a producer and DJ for house scene trio the Futuristic Polar Bears.

Fran founded the group and they've been on several tours playing gigs and making appearances at nightclubs all over the world.

 

Speaking to Jennifer Zamparelli on RTE 2FM, he said: "You can't take it [fame] too seriously because it's gone as quick as it comes.

"As it came towards 2009, things just started to spin out of control a bit, as it does. I was kind of finished with the whole celebrity thing.

"I started saying, 'no' to loads of programmes and I just wasn't interested in it.

"My manager, rightly so, was like, 'Mate why won't you do any of these things?' I was just like, 'I'm not there anymore.'"

Love Island USA's Vanna flaunts curves in sexy low-cut dress as she dumps Ace - but fans 'can't get over' his reaction

Celebrity Love Island returned for a second series in 2006, this time starring the likes of Eternal singer and Loose Women star Kelle Bryan and Boyzone's Shane Lynch.

But it was models Bianca Gascoigne and Calum Best who won the final series ahead of its cancellation.