
Love Island legend reveals he spent night with new islander Sophie Lee after meeting on night out
A LOVE Island legend has revealed he spent the night with new Islander Sophie Lee after meeting her on a night out.
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Sophie is one of the Love Island 2025 stars
Credit: Instagram
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Former Islander Anton has revealed how he spent the night in a hotel with her
Credit: Instagram
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Sophie works as an activist after suffering a freak fire breathing accident when she was 22
Credit: Instagram
And
Writing on Instagram, Anton, 30, said: 'Let's just say we didn't get much sleep…
'Last October, I was on a night out and bumped into one of my mates who happened to be with Sophie Lee.
'I already knew of Sophie through one of my friends, Joss, but we'd never properly spoken - until that night. We clicked straight away.'
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Sophie now works as an activist after
The incident took place whilst
And Anton confessed he was 'captivated' by Sophie's story.
He continued: 'We ended up back at her hotel room… but not how you think.
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'We genuinely talked all night. I was captivated by her story.'
Praising Sophie for talking openly about her experience, he added: 'No filters. No ego.
Love Island's New Star Fire Breather Sophie Lee's Shocking Injury Story
'Her message? Learn to love yourself - scars and all.'
Anton isn't the only
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She was previously in a relationship with Scottish hunk
Asked if things were going well between them, Ouzy beamed: "It's going really well," prompting Sophie to chime in: "He's really kind, that's my favourite thing about him."
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Love Island 2025 full lineup
: A 29-year-old footballer with charm to spare.
: A model and motivational speaker who has overcome adversity after suffering life-changing burns in an accident.
: A 22-year-old Manchester-based model, ready to turn heads.
Blu Chegini
: A boxer with striking model looks, seeking love in the villa.
: A payroll specialist from Southampton, looking for someone tall and stylish.
: International business graduate with brains and ambition.
: A gym enthusiast with a big heart.
: A Londoner with celebrity connections, aiming to find someone funny or Northern.
Ben Hullbra
: A model ready to make waves.
: An Irish actress already drawing comparisons to Maura Higgins.
: A personal trainer and semi-pro footballer, following in his footballer father's footsteps.
: A towering 6'5' personal trainer.
: A 25-year-old Irish rugby pro
Departures
:
: Axed after an arrest over a machete attack emerged. He was released with no further action taken and denies any wrongdoing.
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RTÉ News
2 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Scrublands' Irish star: 'my dream is to work at home'
Maria Branagan's just another Irish person who's swapped the Emerald Isle for Australia. Well, except for the fact that she landed a part in hit Oz drama Scrublands. John Byrne reports. Zoom is home to most interview situations these days. Post-covid, it's rare to meet up with someone unless they happen to be in Ireland. Or I just happen to be in Hollywood. It takes away the personal touch, but it also allows you to conduct interviews in a more personal setting than having a chat on the phone. Being able to see the person you're conversing with is always a plus. Especially if – like Maria Branagan – the person on the other side of the Zoom happens to be in Australia. It's a long way from her native Meath, and that's a story in itself. But the ultimate reason why we're chatting, early in the day for me and late in the evening for her, is that she went to Australia hoping it would ultimately lead to a new chapter in her acting career. Spoiler alert: it did. Remember Australian drama Scrublands? Well, it's back on RTÉ2 for a second season from Monday June 9 and our Maria's got a part in it for a three-episode arc. No wonder she's grinning at me like a cat in a cream factory when I ask if she headed Down Under on a whim. "I really did just say, f*** this. I'm heading off," she laughs. "In September of 2023, myself and my fiancé had just finished renovating these farm garages on his mam's land. And that's where we intended to live. "Long story boring. We ended up renovating these garages myself and Dan and - I'm not joking - we finished and I just turned to him and I said 'I've booked flights to Australia' and he said 'What, what? 'And I was, like, 'We're moving!' "And so off we went. We packed our bags in January of 2024. And it's been a fantastic experience. I mean, it's been daunting and there's definitely times where you're like, 'What am I doing?' "But generally speaking, I do believe that everyone should leave home for a couple of years, you know, kind of puts perspective on what life is all about really." So, what's it all about then? "It couldn't be nicer," Maria insists, describing her current surroundings. "The weather's just gorgeous." And where is this gorgeous weather? "I'm in Mudgee, which is a small town four hours inland from Sydney." From Meath to Mudgee. It's quite literally half the world away. Thing was, Maria Branagan wasn't getting many breaks in her acting career here in Ireland. Sure, there was some work, such as the 2023 movie Made in Dublin. As is the nature of the acting game in a small country such as Ireland, you can spend a lot of time travelling on a career path without getting very far. And time does tend to fly. Especially when other things are put on hold. Maria's brutally candid. "I literally had, like, resigned myself to the fact that I had been trying to kind of crack the Irish industry for about 10 years. And I've been putting off myself and my partner's travel plans. "I only have ever had two wishes in my life," she adds. "One was to be a working actor and the other was to travel the world. So I put our travel plans on hold for so many years. "And my partner was so understanding. He was really like, 'Absolutely. I'm so committed to you pursuing your dream'. "And one morning I woke up and it would have been around September 2023 and there was a wave of peace that came over me. I don't think I ever told myself I was going to quit [acting] because it is a drug, isn't it? "So I kind of just put it on the back burner. And I said, 'Look, let's go travel.' And when we, if we eventually ever come home, I'll try again." Fate– or whatever you'd like to call it – made an appearance when, at the same time, a pal of hers made a big life choice of her own that had the potential to impact Maria's acting prospects. "Literally the December before I left, a friend of mine, Cathy Ievers, told me that she was going out on her own and making her own [acting] agency. She had done huge things in London with massive agencies and then she was like, 'I'm going out on my own.'" Not only that, Cathy wanted Maria on her roster of talent. Y'know, the Maria that's just about to put acting on hold and move halfway around the globe. No biggie, Cathy insisted. "She said that everyone's sending self-tapes these days," Maria explains. "So you could be anywhere in the world, you know. I thought, maybe we can do this - but when we got to Australia, I was really disoriented and really just focused on travelling. I kind of had acting in the back of my mind." Lucky for her, Cathy Ievers was beavering away back on this side of the planet. Maria was Down Under "about three or four weeks" when Cathy sent her a text about interest from a top casting agency in Sydney. Yep. Sydney, Australia. Maria recalls: "I didn't think much of it, sent the tape in, forgot about it entirely, and Cathy was on to me a week later to tell me I was after getting a recall." Two weeks later, she got the news that she'd been cast to play a character called Toria in the second season of hit Australian drama Scrublands. Sweet. "They actually changed her name from Topaz to Toria," Maria explains when I ask about her character. "They thought Toria was more of an Irish name. I was like, Toria is not an Irish name. The description was originally an Argentinian girl. So that's why they went with Topaz. But I didn't care. I got cast." Indeed. Once the name on the paysllips is 'Maria Branagan' that's all that really matters. 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Irish Daily Mirror
3 hours ago
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3 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
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