Love Island winner looks unrecognisable with big bushy beard 20 years after winning the show – do know who it is?

Scottish Sun

25-06-2025

He's opened up about his decision to turn his back on fame
island og Love Island winner looks unrecognisable with big bushy beard 20 years after winning the show – do know who it is?
THE first ever winner of Love Island looked unrecognisable as he showed off a big bushy beard 20 years after doing the show.
Celebrity Love Island kicked off in 2005 and starred famous faces including Atomic Kitten's Liz McClarnon and EastEnders hunk Michael Greco.
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Fran Cosgrave looked very different in a new social media snap
Credit: Instagram
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He starred in the very first series of Celebrity Love Island in 2005
Credit: ITV
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He won the series with TV presenter Jayne Middlemiss
Credit: Shutterstock
But it was Fran Cosgrave - who at the time was a former bodyguard of boyband Westlife - and TV presenter Jayne Middlemiss who won the show.
Now two decades on Fran, 47, looks very different from his time in the luxury Fiji villa in a new social media snap.
Before heading into the villa he dated Natasha Hamilton from 2001 until 2002, and the former couple share son Josh, 21.
But Fran made the decision to quit fame and lives mostly out of the spotlight these days.
He made the switch from TV to music and is a producer and DJ for house scene trio the Futuristic Polar Bears.
Fran founded the group and they've been on several tours playing gigs and making appearances at nightclubs all over the world.
Speaking to Jennifer Zamparelli on RTE 2FM, he said: "You can't take it [fame] too seriously because it's gone as quick as it comes.
"As it came towards 2009, things just started to spin out of control a bit, as it does. I was kind of finished with the whole celebrity thing.
"I started saying, 'no' to loads of programmes and I just wasn't interested in it.
"My manager, rightly so, was like, 'Mate why won't you do any of these things?' I was just like, 'I'm not there anymore.'"
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Celebrity Love Island returned for a second series in 2006, this time starring the likes of Eternal singer and Loose Women star Kelle Bryan and Boyzone's Shane Lynch.
But it was models Bianca Gascoigne and Calum Best who won the final series ahead of its cancellation.