Faye Winter not 'looking for validation' as she embraces life on 'single income'

Daily Mirror

25-05-2025

EXCLUSIVE: Faye Winter has opened up about the reality of being single and why she's no longer seeking a relationship and why she's proud of her success story
Faye Winter has revealed she no longer requires validation from other people as she embraces single life. The charity ambassador and TV star has never hesitated from sharing insights into her life and while she's no longer looking for a relationship, she couldn't be happier.
Faye, 29, has been single since splitting from her ex-boyfriend two years ago and while many may have turned to dating apps, this couldn't be further from her reality. Instead, Faye now knows her self-worth and while she's had "sexy" men slide into her direct messages, she's happy to embrace life on her own.
‌
But she's not entirely on her own, Exeter-born Faye, has her beloved dog Bonnie by her side, as well as her two "feral" ponies, Keith and Kevin, who she rescued from Dartmoor."I'm always very vocal about my love of animals and it's given me a sense of purpose, " she exclusively told the Mirror.
‌
Faye went on to explain that her animals have helped her "realise and appreciate" things that are "bigger than herself." She said: "It's made me love myself, but also love something that doesn't need to use words and doesn't need to tell me or do anything.
"It does enough just by getting me out every day and giving me a cuddle when I need one and things that we take for granted. Sometimes things that we look for in other people for validation. I've always found in my dogs and to have guide dogs in my life and see them go on and change people's lives and in city centres, we really do take dogs for granted.
"If you have a dog, you not only have a friend for life, you have a companion, and they give you so much more than we can appreciate." Faye explained that while she's now thriving as a single woman she wouldn't be in the same position if it wasn't for her dog, Bonnie. "She saved me and I say that every single time I speak about my dog," she stated. Her two rescue ponies are also another source of happiness for the star.
"I'm really proud of myself because I had no idea what I was doing," she said of rescuing the two foals from an auction after they were "snatched" from the moors. "They've given me back again more than I could ever have wished for in love and also opportunities," she said of being invited to the Royal Windsor Horse Show earlier this week.
‌
Before turning 30, Faye admitted she wanted to buy her own house, something she felt passionate about as a former estate agent. One of her other wishes was to travel to Africa and go on a safari – something she recently completed. While her social media profiles give a glossy insight into her life, it doesn't mean she hasn't faced set backs.
"I've had the best time doing it on my own," she said. She added: "So if and when I meet a person, which I'm not looking for, but if I was to meet somebody, I'm not relying on them and I'm not putting that pressure on them to do something when me that I could actually do on my own.
"It's taken a lot of hard work. a lot of tears and a lot of self-doubt, I have to tell myself 'You can do this, Faye,' I've got there, eventually. Through all the struggles on a single income and doing it by myself. For me, that's one of my proudest achievements." She says she might not have the latest pair of trainers, but she's happy in her own lane and hopes that her online followers will see they don't have to "follow certain norms to be a success." "Success comes in so many different forms," she said.
‌
One thing Faye is extremely open about is her cosmetic treatments."I've always said, if you're insecure about something, you should be able to go and make those changes, to make you a more confident version of yourself", she said. But she says that these procedures should, of course, be regulated.
"There's so many dangerous situations that young women are putting themselves in for beauty standards and beauty standards are never going to go away," Faye said. She added: "It's something that also comes with age, I've found I've become more confident in my later 20s than I was in my early 20s."
‌
Faye encourages people to "do what you love" as she no longer cares about what people think of her, which has come with "inner confidence." This, however, is not something she saw in herself after leaving the Love Island villa. The programme received over 24,000 complaints to Ofcom following a clash between her and her ex-partner.
But Faye holds her hands up to this. She said: "I never ever allowed anybody to take away from my responsibility of it and I always held my hands up to it. I've never tried to fob of what I'd done and who I was as a person. I know and I saw myself that I wasn't a very nice person.
‌
"I wanted to change some things about me and I've done it, I worked on that all by myself. You either have to work through it and you can either grow through it or go through it, that's what you've got to do to become a better person. None of us are perfect, I'm far from perfect.
"I've come out of it, I might not be that face that you see all over every magazine, and I may not be that person that is constantly flaunting it, but I also try to give out a message that you don't have to be. You can literally live your best life that you want to live." Since leaving Love Island, while some brands didn't work with Faye, one charity, which is particularly close to her heart, stood by her.
"I've always worked with Guide Dogs for years and years and years," she said. This resonates with Faye, who is now the face of Omaze's Million Pound House Draw in the Cotswolds. "I feel like it was a perfect partnership for me, as I was an estate agent for ten years before Love Island, it's something that I've always shouted about and always loved. So to get back into it and put a little foot back in the door reminded me of what I loved and kind of who I was and where it all started."
‌
Although the charity draw allows somebody to win a house worth £5million, it also enables them to change other people's lives. "Guide Dogs is actually one of the largest children's services in the whole of the UK, which no one even knows about," said Faye. She added that they help children with sight loss up and down the country.
"I was a volunteer for years, and they helped me tremendously," she said. Faye explained that the charity refused to turn their back on her after Love Island, despite the backlash she faced from the public and brand deals. She explained: "I'm super grateful to them every single day for what they've done for me personally."
Guide Dogs Ambassador Faye Winter is supporting the latest Omaze Million Pound House Draw, Cotswolds in aid of the charity. Draw entries are available now at omaze.co.uk/pages/cotswolds-v. The Draw closes at midnight Bank Holiday Monday May 26th.