Molly-Mae's love life before Tommy - footballer disaster and childhood flame (2024)

Before Molly-Mae Hague met Tommy Fury in the Love Island villa, she enjoyed an adorable romance with her teenage sweetheart, and once described their relationship as 'nothing but good times and happiness'

Molly-Mae Hague made a name for herself as a girl looking for The One on Love Island. But before she and Tommy Fury fell for each other in the iconic villa, there was another special person in her life.

The dating show star turned millionaire businesswoman shot to fame after her 2019 stint in the villa, with her and Tommy becoming the It-couple of the show. But earlier this month, the fairytale imploded after heartbroken Molly announced she and Tommy would be parting ways after five years together.

Before the 25-year-old mega influencer became one of the most recognisable celeb faces, she led a fairly ordinary life, working shifts as a lifeguard and as an assistant at Boots while competing in beauty pageants. And like many teenagers, she had a childhood sweetheart who clearly thought the whole world of her...

Molly and her first love Rory Shooter dated for three years, and it's believed they first started going out when she was 13 and he 14. The teens enjoyed holidays and days out together - including to the studios where her favourite film series, Harry Potter was filmed. A trawl back through social media reveals plenty of sweet snaps from their happy time together, including pics from their date night at their school proms.

Rory, who went on to study business management at Nottingham Trent University, appears to have been besotted by Molly from the beginning, admitting to his social media followers that he'd once 'pretended to be gay' to bag an invite to her birthday party. He wrote: "One year ago today when I first me this one. Pretended I was gay so I could stay round with the girls for her bday."

The then-student appeared to be fully supportive of Molly's pageant endeavours, declaring that he was 'very proud' after she finished in the top 16 contenders of the Miss Teen Great Britain final. Hertfordshire-born Molly also appeared to be head over heels for her then-beau, writing: "So lucky to be in a relationship that's nothing but good times and happiness."

In one particularly amorous post directed at Rory on the social media platform X - then known as Twitter - lovestruck Molly gushed: "I love you so much and miss you can't wait to see you v. soon xxx." As is so often the way with young love, the pair eventually went along their own separate paths, parting ways in 2017. However, it's likely they'll still have plenty of fond memories of their time together.

Before entering the villa, Molly reportedly dated Leicester City footballer James Maddison, with the pair splitting up in 2019. However, she apparently wasn't all that won over by the life of a WAG, making the following pointed comments before meeting with her fellow Islanders: "All the dates I've been on have been guys from Instagram. A few footballers have slid into my DMs. I've dated footballers, it's all just superficial and on the surface." She added: "And then you get to know them and they're just a bang average 'Jack the Lad'."

Molly then opened up about a rubbish date she'd endured with an unnamed footballer, revealing: "One time I got asked to go to this guy's house and he said he'd pay me the money back for my taxi there. He was a footballer and he lived a long way away from me. When I left I told him to just transfer me a quarter of the cost, trying to be polite and he fully did! Even though he asked me to go and he was a Premier League footballer who could totally afford the whole cost!"

For a while, it seemed as though Molly had found her happily ever after with Tommy, especially after the pair announced their engagement in July 2023. However, it wasn't to be, with Molly confirming the shock split in a heartbreaking Instagram statement.

Molly shared: "Never in a million years did I ever think I'd have to write this. After five years of being together, I never imagined our story would end, especially not this way. I am extremely upset to announce that mine and Tommy's relationship has come to an end."

One hour later, Tommy, who shares young daughter Bambi with Molly, penned an emotional statement of his own, writing: "I am heartbroken to share that Molly and I have decided to end our relationship. The past five years have led to us having our beautiful baby girl, Bambi and I will be forever thankful to Molly for making me a dad. Bambi is our priority. Please respect our privacy, and our families' privacy, as we navigate our way through this difficult time."

Do you have a story to share? Email me at julia.banim@reachplc.com.

Follow Mirror Celebs on Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads