16 March 2023 , 16:17
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Love Island star Claudia Fogarty has revealed she struggled with her own image before eventually agreeing to enter the famous villa.
The daughter of motorcycle racer Carl Fogarty explained that she had been approached by ITV bosses several years ago but is now more confident than ever.
Claudia, 28, entered the villa on day 23 but was subsequently dumped on day 45 alongside Keanan Brand after the pair were evicted by Maxwell and Olivia.
But just days after the series came to an end, Claudia opened up about her experience and revealed her secret struggles which saw her turn down offers from the TV show in the past.
Claudia Fogarty has opened up about her secret body image struggles (ITV/REX/Shutterstock)She told the Mirror: "I have always struggled with body confidence, it's never been something I've come to terms with, as a woman, you do struggle every day with how you look and it's coming to terms with loving yourself.
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"It got mentioned, Love Island, a few years ago for me – at the time, I wasn't really feeling myself and I didn't feel great about me and I just thought 'no, now is not the right time', but now, I feel like I'm a more confident person.
During a chat with Scott Thomas on his As I Go podcast, Claudia described herself as the "fat funny sister" (Jonathan Hordle/REX/Shutterstock)
The TV star admits she's in a much more comfortable position with her body nowadays (claudiafogarty/Instagram)"I'm not going to compare myself to people as much as I used to and it's nice to see people there that have got different shapes.
"Not everybody is the same size and it's nice to see that but knowing you're going to be in a bikini all day every day with millions of people watching you on TV, you are always thinking about that as well."
She went on to explain that despite the female Islanders being in bikinis all the time, there was never a discussion for the girls to always being in swimwear.
Claudia revealed that there is no pressure for the girls to be in bikinis but she was aware of her body while in the villa (ITV/REX/Shutterstock)Claudia, who recently recorded an episode of fellow Love Island star Scott Thomas' Learning As I Go podcast went on to explain that during her time on the show, she was "subconsciously always" thinking about the cameras.
"A lot of people have said to me, 'you look better in real life'," she added.
Having sat down to discuss her life with Scott on his podcast, the fitness influencer went on to say that the pair have lived a similar life and share several similarities.
"It was really nice to sit and talk to someone that's been through the same as you," she said before adding: "And has been through their own journey, mentally, and physically so it was nice to share that."