Former Love Island winner Amber Gill has revealed that her need for social media validation led to a mental health battle. The 25-year-old, who won the fifth series of the ITV2 dating show, said the pressure to engage with fans and seek approval became overwhelming.
Speaking ahead of her appearance on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, Gill explained that the show helped her regain confidence. 'Before I went in, I wasn’t in a very good mental headspace,' she told OK! magazine. 'I’m so glad I did because it kick-started me getting into a better headspace.'
Gill, who has since collaborated with Miss Pap and released a romance novel, admitted that external validation played a significant role in her struggles. 'A lot of what I do is based on external validation. You want people to engage with your social media, you want people to like you and I think that all got a bit much,' she said.
In a separate interview, Gill also addressed her sexuality after a tweet declaring 'switching teams was the best decision I made in my life.' She described the post as an accidental coming out, adding, 'I’ve put switching teams on a tweet and that’s how I came out!'
