Love Island: All Stars winner Gabby Allen is still on a high after triumphing on the ITV show - but her win comes after agonising personal heartbreak.
The 33-year-old reality star first rose to fame in 2017 when she was a contestant on season three of ITV's Love Island - where she landed in fourth place alongside 39-year-old Marcel Somerville. Returning to the villa earlier this year, Gabby emerged victorious after coupling with 28-year-old Essex boy Casey O'Gorman - winning the show and bagging the £50,000 prize.
But over a decade ago, Gabby was left heartbroken when her father, Mike, died when she was just 21-years-old. She has long been private about his death, but has now opened up to the Mirror about her heartbreaking loss.
She said: “When Dad died, we didn’t just lose him – we lost everything. The business, the house. It had a domino effect." Discussing his health issues, Gabby revealed: "Dad had a brain tumour, a glioblastoma multiforme – the worst you can get. Within 10 months of diagnosis, he was gone.”
Gabby won Love Island: All Stars season two alongside Casey O'Gorman last month (
ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
It was made all the worse by the mental deterioration that came before it, explains Gabby, “It was 10 months of somebody essentially losing their mind and deteriorating in front of you.” Gabby was away at drama school at the time, and believes her mum and younger brother protected her from the darkest moments. “I always had this underlying guilt that I wasn’t there during that time,” she reveals. But his death was just the beginning of a financial and emotional nightmare for the family.
“His business left him in a huge amount of debt, and when he passed away, my mum was left with debts she didn’t even know existed – because he didn’t. But Mum was the guarantor for everything,” she explains. “She had no idea what was going on until it was too late. She had to go bankrupt. She lost her own business, too. It was just awful.”
In the aftermath, Gabby found herself juggling multiple jobs to stay afloat. “I was; teaching fitness classes, waitressing – just trying to have a bit of freedom and not put any more pressure on my mum.” Then, at 25, Love Island came calling – and transformed her life. “I never expected a show to change my life. I thought I’d be on it for a week, come out either single or with someone, maybe have a few more PT clients; be more in demand… But the opportunities and freedom that came from it gave us so much more.
“People asked what I would do with the Love Island winnings if I won. I just wanted to give my mum peace and a good night’s sleep after a few years of absolute hell. If I hadn’t done Love Island, I don’t know what our future would’ve looked like.”
Coming out of the villa for the second time, Gabby has more clarity than ever. “I’m the strongest, most educated version of myself. I know exactly who I am now,” she says confidently. She’s also aware that people have preconceived ideas about reality stars like her. “People have a notion of the kind of person that goes on Love Island. I’m not trying to say my life has been dead difficult – I had a really good childhood. But then it was all taken away. That portion of my life, just before I went into the show, shaped who I am.”
For now, Gabby’s focus is her fitness empire. Her wellness platform, Shape Up, has grown into a full-fledged community. “I’m helping thousands of women – not just with fitness, but a 360-degree approach to wellness,” she explains. Since launching Shape Up in 2020, Gabby has grown it into a thriving brand. “We had the biggest launch day, with my new Island Body Program, in the history of the platform. It blew my mind! It was the program I used when I was getting into the best shape of my life before going back into the villa,” she says.
It’s not slowing down either. “I hope everyone will read my story, and it will show that by having a disability at one stage in my life and becoming a fitness guru proves that you can do it. I want to help so many more people transform their lives, just like I have,” Gabby adds. “I want to do more retreats, expand into nutrition and mindfulness – create a space where women feel supported in every way – part of that is through community and being on a journey with like-minded people.”
