Molly-Mae Hague has returned to her first Manchester apartment, now listed for £185,000, and reflected on how Love Island transformed her life. The influencer, who was 20 when she appeared on the fifth series of the ITV2 dating show in 2019, said she 'couldn't afford' the property before receiving the call to enter the Spanish villa.
Before finding fame as a bombshell contestant, Molly-Mae lived in a one-bedroom apartment on the border of Ancoats and New Islington. After the show and leaving Mallorca, she and Tommy Fury, both now 27, briefly lived together there. The couple now share two children.
Emotional return to her first home
In her latest YouTube vlog, Molly-Mae was seen touring the property, which has been put on the market for £185,000. She said: "If there was ever a blast from the past, it was this. Like, this is actually borderline scary."
She added: "This is making me feel so many emotions. I honestly feel so many emotions. I can't even explain it. But this was my old apartment. This was literally my first stepping stone into Manchester and my life. This is crazy."
After looking around, she told viewers: "It actually looks so insane. I'm so, so happy that I got to do this. This has literally made my entire month. Like I cannot even explain the feeling of being stood here just where it all began. And it even smells the exact same. Like you know, when some places just have a certain smell and smelling it is making me literally, if I close my eyes, like I am eight years back living here by myself, figuring it all out and trying to make something of my life, by myself."
Struggles before Love Island
Speaking about moving in, the mum-of-two admitted: "I probably didn't really have enough money to be able to do it. And I was just absolutely winging it. It was a very, very crazy time for me..." She later revealed: "Fun fact, don't tell anyone this, I'm telling you guys, keep between us..."
She explained: "I paid for my first six months rent up front when I lived here. Basically, it was getting to a point where I kind of couldn't really afford to live here anymore. And then I got the call-up from Love Island and my rent was due up. And basically, it was like, do I take another six months in the hopes that when I come off the show, I'll be able to keep paying my rent or will I sign myself into this contract and get voted off the show in the first week, and then be absolutely stuffed because I'll have no money to pay the rent."
She added: "I was actually planning on potentially moving back home because basically, moving out is just so much more expensive than you could ever think. Even when you calculate what you're going to pay for your bills, there's always just hidden costs and also like the cost of living, and like I don't know like buying yourself a coffee when you're out and just everything just mounted up so much more than I could ever have imagined."
From penthouse to mansion
After their brief spell at the apartment, Molly-Mae and Tommy moved into a penthouse in Ancoats before renting a luxury home in Hale. That property was later targeted by thieves in an £800,000 burglary, during which the house was reportedly 'ransacked'.
Molly-Mae then purchased a £3.8 million Cheshire mansion in April 2022, where she and Tommy lived with their daughter Bambi before their brief split in 2024. After rekindling their relationship and welcoming their son, Midas, the couple now live together in a Victorian mansion in Cheshire.
