Love Island’s Molly Marsh opens up on sobriety aged 21

Love Island 2023 contestant Molly Marsh has admitted she’s not too fussed about the party-goer lifestyle, choosing to avoid alcohol even when on nights out with her pals.

While the 21-year-old musical theatre performer is taking part in this year’s series of the ITV show, she doesn’t plan on changing herself to fit the mould of the classic, party-loving islander.

However, Molly has admitted that she believes it’s her aversion to this kind of lifestyle that has made it difficult for her to find love in the real world, which is why she felt the show might be just the push she needed.

She said: “I’m a girl that doesn’t use dating apps, I don’t party, and I don’t drink, so the normal places that you would go and meet people and find the love of your life.

“I don’t do those things. So I just think, why not [do Love Island ]?” Molly continued.

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According to OK! Magazine, she then explained: “I don’t like the clubbing scene and because I don’t drink, it’s not [fun] being the sober one when people are having a great night, is it? So yeah, I’ve been accused of being boring, a party pooper, I’ve had that a few times.

“I’ll take that. I feel like some people need a good drink to maybe get a bit of confidence out there and get on the dance floor. But I’m someone who is very confident, I can have a good night without a drink.”

When Molly entered the Love Island villa earlier this month, she quickly got caught in a love triangle between gas engineer Mitchel Taylor and basketball player Zachariah Noble.

It seems Zachariah has won her over and, in the interview, Molly clarified that when it comes to the person she chooses to be with, she doesn’t mind if they drink provided she’s not pressured into joining them.

“I have had partners in the past who have been big drinkers,” she confirmed. “That’s fine! But I won’t be participating.”

Molly already had 30,000 Instagram followers before appearing on the show and her fanbase has now reached a staggering 122,000.

She explained that she wants her young followers to have a responsible role model to look up to who “says they don’t need to drink and they don’t have to party to have a good time and meet somebody”.

Part of Molly’s already-high profile may be in part thanks to her actress mum Janet Marsh, who has appeared on Coronation Street and Open All Hours.

As well as taking after Janet in terms of performing, it seems Molly also has something else in common with her mum, who has “always had a good time” sober.

Molly revealed: “Mum might have a Coke and Malibu at Christmas, which is a bit like me, if there’s a really big occasion like Christmas Day then maybe [I’ll have] a Malibu and Coke. But that’s as far as it goes.”

Love Island continues tonight at 9pm on ITV2.