Molly Smith says lifting weights has transformed her ‘skinny’ body and she is proud of her ‘feminine shape’.
The Love Island: All Stars winner, 29, told MailOnline that going to the gym is ‘therapy’ for her mental health, and revealed she would run laps around the villa’s pool in South Africa to make sure that she was still exercising.
In an exclusive interview, Molly insisted that she works out because she loves to challenge herself and the physical impact working out has on her toned body is just a ‘bonus’.
Molly says she and her boyfriend Tom Clare, 24, have bonded over their enthusiasm for sport and the footballer even surprised her by booking an extreme activity for them to do together to celebrate her upcoming 30th birthday.
She said: ‘When I was younger I was always on the skinny side, and I wanted to have a more feminine shape.
Molly Smith says weightlifting has transformed her ‘skinny’ body and she’s proud of her ‘feminine shape’
The Love Island: All Stars winner told MailOnline that going to the gym is ‘therapy’ for her mental health, and revealed she would run laps around the villa’s pool to make sure she was still exercising used to be
In an exclusive interview, Molly insisted that she works out because she loves to challenge herself and the physical impact working out has on her toned body is just a ‘bonus’.
‘Now I do strength training, I love running, I’ve done some CrossFit training, a Hyrox competition, I love a challenge and I like to do anything that makes me feel good.
‘I don’t run or lift weights to get a better body, I do what I love… I’ve done Pilates, yoga, I love everything fitness related. The way it shapes my body is a bonus, but I do it because I love it… and I’m proud of it.
‘The gym is like therapy, it makes me feel better, the fact it keeps me in shape is a bonus. “I love going, I feel better, I fell in love with running last year… when I was in the villa I was running laps and laps around the pool.”
Molly, who had a breast augmentation in 2021, is preparing to bare her bikini body as she heads to Dubai on Sunday for the first time on holiday with boyfriend Tom.
And it will be a special trip for several reasons, as the couple plans to spend time with Tom’s flight attendant sister and create memories that will last a lifetime when they go skydiving.
The reality star said jumping out of a plane was on her list of 30 things to do before she reached the milestone age at the end of April and the new man in her life wanted to make sure she achieved her goal.
She explains: ‘On Sunday we will go on holiday to Dubai together.
‘Tom’s sister lives there, she’s a flight attendant, I met her briefly because she comes back to Manchester every now and then, but now we’re going to Dubai and have so many things planned. I can’t wait to have that quality time together.
Molly said she has always been on the ‘skinny side’, but regular exercise, including CrossFit classes and weightlifting, has increased her muscle mass (pictured May 2019)
She says the way fitness training has helped shape her body is a ‘bonus’ and she spends time in the gym to improve her mental health and wellbeing (pictured April 2019)
Molly prepares to bare her bikini body as she heads to Dubai on Sunday for the first time on holiday with boyfriend Tom
She won Love Island: All Stars with Tom earlier this year, beating her ex-boyfriend Callum Jones to the title
‘I had a 30 before 30 list that I was trying to tick off and I ended up on Love Island, so it set me back a bit, but one of them was doing a skydive, which Tom has organized for when we get to Dubai. .I can’t wait to see how I handle it.”
Molly’s plans for her 30th birthday don’t stop there: both she and Tom’s families get together for a celebratory meal before she jets off to Las Vegas for a weekend of celebration with her best friends.
She added: ‘It’s my birthday at the end of this month and we’re going for a family dinner, so my parents are going to meet Tom’s family, which will be a big moment.
‘We’re going to Vegas for my 30th, which is fully booked… poor Tom stays home because it’s a girls trip. We’re going to Vegas and LA for a few days and I’m getting ready to party.”
Molly won Love Island: All Stars with Tom earlier this year, beating her ex-boyfriend Callum Jones to the title, who came second with Jess Gale.
ITV2 viewers were hoping Molly would reconcile with Callum, but the unique experience of living together in a private environment like the Love Island villa saw the pair become close friends.
Molly said: ‘I’ve learned a lot about myself… when you go on Love Island you don’t expect to live with an ex, even though I suspected that might be the case… I knew there were a few might have overlapped, but living with an ex-boyfriend for so long… it was an experience, let’s put it that way.
‘It doesn’t bother me to talk about Callum but I do want it to be put to bed because other people with exes can move on but we are friends, there is no animosity or bad vibes.
Molly is the new ambassador for jewelery and accessories brand Abbott Lyon and has created a collection inspired by the necklaces she wore in the Love Island villa
In tribute to her dog, Molly wore a necklace that said ‘Nelly’ in Arabic, which she refused to take off while starring in the show
‘Things are not sour or bitter between us. We respect each other, which hopefully showed, and our relationship didn’t end badly either. There has never been any hatred towards each other.”
Molly is the new ambassador for jewelery and accessories brand Abbott Lyon and has created a collection inspired by the necklaces she wore in the Love Island villa.
In tribute to her dog, Molly wore a necklace that said ‘Nelly’ in Arabic, which she refused to take off while starring in the show, and now fans of the sentimental chain can have their own necklace.
She said: ‘This collection means a lot to me because these are things I wore all the time in the villa and couldn’t actually take off.
‘I had a necklace that I wore every day in the villa, it was my dog’s name in Arabic script, I wore it all the time. And the range is made up of the same sentimental pieces that will mean a lot to people and also make great gifts.”
- Abbott Lyon x Molly Smith, Spring Signature Looks launches at abbottlyon.com on Sunday April 7. Featuring new Arabic name necklaces available from £79
