Camilla (Love Island): A Timeline Of Her Rise To Fame
Camilla Thurlow wasn’t just one of our favourite Love Island stars, but one of our favourite people… like EVER.
With an IQ higher than her sunscreen’s SPF and a voice for feminism, it quickly became obvious that our soul sista, Cam, wasn’t your stereotypical Love Island hopeful.
So, just in case you’ve missed the island’s smartest contestant all over our screens – here’s a timeline of her rise to success…
[dx_custom_adunit mobile_id=”RTK_qw1q”]
1989 – Camilla Was Born
Our favourite LI contestant was born in a small Scottish market town called Dumfries to two (very posh) parents.
In case you missed the reality show’s episode where the contestants parents join their offspring on set… we all had the pleasure of meeting the sweet (but incredibly posh) pair that produced our Cammy. Remember when her mum started to cry:
“I just think it’s such a brave thing to have done. It’s very strange when I think that you’ve been off to these places to work and yet on the outside, this is lounging about in a villa in the sun all day, what is so brave about that? But it is such a brave thing to have done.”
Her mum also revealed that her family and Grandma have been watching:
“Apparently she’s got the subtitles on. She did phone one evening and say, ‘I can’t really chat because I want to get back and watch the last bit.
And Camilla’s dad also gave her time on the show seal of approval, saying: “It’s so nice to see you with someone who is making you happy.”
If that didn’t get the votes, we don’t know what did!
1993 – Camilla Went To The Same School As Tony Blair
Yep – you guessed it, it’s not just a coincidence that Camilla’s elocution is so polished…
She’s a former student of the elite private school Fettes (dubbed as the Eton of the North), based in Edinburgh. The school – which inspired J.K. Rowling for her Harry Potter books – boasts a whole host of successful alumni including actress Tilda Swinton and former PM Tony Blair.
There are also many fictional characters who have been written to have studied at the infamous school – including James Bond and Marvel hero Captain Britain.
Nowadays the school costs a whopping £30,000 a year!
2007 – She played lacrosse for Scotland
Despite her seriously successful career outside of sport, Camilla describes her proudest moment to date as representing Scotland in the lacrosse world junior championships.
Camilla said:
“I don’t think it’s my claim to fame but my proudest achievement was playing lacrosse for Scotland in the junior world championships.”
2008- She Achieved Nine A* GCSES
We suspected that the ‘dating show’s brainiest contestant’ might have a few good grades under her belt, but it appears that she just couldn’t have done any better in school…
[dx_custom_adunit mobile_id=”RTK_ZIkz”]
Oh, and she bagged herself three As at A-level too – surprise, surprise!
2009- Camilla Was Crowned Miss Edinburgh At 19!
Because, let’s face it – what would Love Island be without a beauty pageant queen?
Camilla was just 19 when she was awarded the crown for Scotland’s capital city beauty queen – and we couldn’t think of someone who deserves it more!
2009- She Went To Loughborough University To Study Sport and Exercise Science
After bagging such good grades, Love Island’s Camilla Thurlow opted to study the highly-acclaimed course of Sport and Exercise Science at Loughborough University (famous for all things sport science).
Of course – need we even tell you – she graduated with a First Class honours degree.
[dx_custom_adunit mobile_id=”RTK_qQCt”]
2013 – She Started Work For Charity The Halo Trust
In 2013, after working part time at Abercrombie and Fitch (obviously), Cam started work for The HALO Trust: a British charity which removes ‘debris left behind by war, in particular land mines.’
The charity was made famous after Princess Diana visited back in 1997. Camilla revealed:
“It is so rewarding. Clearing mine fields has been the greatest job I could ever have had.”
2014- She Met Prince Harry In A Club And They Shared A Kiss!
If you’ve paid any interest in the TV shows Love Island over the last few years, this won’t come as a huge shock…
She met the Prince in 2014 at the London hotspot Tonteria, a Mexican style nightclub.
[dx_custom_adunit mobile_id=”RTK_iquJ”]
2014- A Relationship Between Them Was Never Confirmed, But They Were Caught Snuggling And Snogging!
After meeting through a mutual friend (apparently Princess Beatrice!), the couple were reportedly seen snuggling up and snogging – we’re feeling jel, sorry Meghan Markle- before rumours of a few dates.
Harry had only recently split up with ex Cressida Bonas at the time he and Camilla was supposedly courting (awkward). She also (apparently) joined the Prince on a yacht in St Tropez – which, by the way, sound VERY appealing.
The only time Camilla has hinted at her fling with Harry is in an interview where she revealed the impact dating someone famous would have on her future:
“I didn’t want my past relationships in the spotlight to upset having a future with someone. I am very happy with Jamie right now,” she said.
“It is nice that something that has happened in the past is in the past. I’ve had an opportunity to show people the person I am.”
Her now boyfriend, Jamie, also isn’t fazed by Cam dating a royal:
“As much as Prince Harry is an impressive human being, I am not going to be intimidated by him.”
“I wasn’t at all shocked to hear she dated Prince Harry, Camilla is a very classy lady. It is her past and everyone has a past.”
2015 – She Qualified As An Explosive Ordnance Disposal Expert (Detonates Bombs!)
After working for The Halo Trust part time, Camilla qualified to become a full-time ‘Explosive Ordnance Disposal Expert’.
[dx_custom_adunit mobile_id=”RTK_wiHk”]
(That’s a person who is a bomb disposal expert to you and I…).
2017- She Applied For Love Island After Being Single For FOUR Years
After being happily single for around four years, Cam decided to do something completely and utterly outside of her comfort zone (and we’re not talking about detonating bombs…).
“I want to put my personal life first, for the first time in a long time, and give myself the opportunity to meet someone,” she said.
So, guess what she did? Of course, she signed up for Love Island.
[dx_custom_adunit mobile_id=”RTK_DdY1″]
2017- She Revealed She’d Been Heartbroken Before
Before entering Casa Amor villa, Cammy revealed that she’d had her heartbroken before (ahem… Prince Harry).
“I don’t think you can get to my age without having your heart broken at least once.” (We feel you, Cam).
“It was really to do with breaking down social barriers I’d put up. I knew it was so far out of my comfort zone, but in my experience I knew that’s how I’d progress,” she said. “It is an incredibly sociable programme as there’s no phones, there’s no TV, there’s no books, it was everything I was afraid of, but in some ways that’s good because it was everything I felt I needed.”
[dx_custom_adunit mobile_id=”RTK_ZoXg”]
2017- She Was Coupled Up With Several Different Guys Before Meeting Her Match In Jamie
Queen Cam started her Love Island experience by coupling with with Sam Gowland. But (much to everyone’s disappointment) they shared absolutely no chemistry. She enjoyed the reality TV journey alongside Kem Cetinay, Amber Davies, Jess Shears and Dom Lever…
She then moved on the Jonny (and the less said about that the better), before he moved on to another girl, leaving our beloved Camilla devastated.
Then came Craig, then (finally) came her now-boyfriend Jamie Jewitt.
2018- She Hit Back At Piers Morgan
Just when we thought we couldn’t love her anymore, Camilla defended herself and her fellow Love Island friends against Good Morning Britain host Piers Morgan’s controversial (unsurprising) comments.
After saying he had no interest in ‘the thick people of Love Island’, Camilla hit back with this…
In my opinion, categorising people who you’ve (apparently) never watched as thick demonstrates an incredibly restricted understanding of intelligence, and the idea that your interpretation is the only one that matters – slight superiority complex perhaps? https://t.co/gt1Ra4HmRt
— Camilla Thurlow (@CamillaThurlow) June 11, 2018
“I will always be a passionate defender of the show, I will always be incredibly lucky to have been part of the series,” she revealed. “I am very much against placing restrictions on people or telling people what type of person they are because of the activities they partake in.
2019- What Camilla Did Next
After a year or two of handling her newly found fame, whilst carrying on working for The HALO Trust, post-Love Island Camilla was offered the opportunity by ITV to film her own (fittingly titled) documentary ‘What Camilla Did Next’.
The show follows the star’s humanitarian work – as well as giving us a sneaky peak into her relationship with Jamie. According to OK Magazine, the show is described as:
“Camilla announced the spin-off late 2018, and a new trailer has given a taster at what she’s been up to since leaving the villa in 2017.
Juggling stardom with a blossoming relationship, as well as her ongoing work to raise awareness of landmines, Camilla is going back in front of the cameras to offer viewers an intimate glimpse into her hectic lifestyle.”
[dx_custom_adunit mobile_id=”RTK_hW7Y”]
2019- She Continues Her Charity Work
We know that Cam loves to help others…
But we underestimated just HOW MUCH humanitarian work Cam does. From volunteering in the Soul Food Kitchen in Northern Greece, to joining Indigo Volunteers, Cam loves to get stuck in.
2019- She Appeared On The SAS Charity Special Series
Camilla, along with a group of fellow celebs, took part in the SAS: Who Dares Wins charity special.
From facing interrogation to climbing 30,000 meters above seawater, Camilla has proved her mental and physical strength on the show. On This Morning, Camilla revealed:
‘It was an amazing cause to be able to do and it was an opportunity to make a difference, although it was a scary opportunity to take.’
‘Watching the show back now I have to do it through my fingers. You only get a snap shot of it [when you watch it at home]. Just an hour a week on Sunday.
‘But you hear people’s stories of suffering and of cancer. You hear snapshots. We forget that that’s all day, every day. A person is in pain constantly. Watching it back, it gave me insight and reminded me why I did it in first place… It’s amazing how much you learn from people around you, you see their mental robustness.
‘I learnt things a lot form those people around me. We were lucky with our group.
‘[Andrea] Mclean was the person who looked after us.’
2019- Cam’s Been Making A Documentary With Netflix
Camilla has helped in creating the new Netflix series ‘Our Planet’.
Alongside @wwf_uk, she worked alongside and helped to film the show. She also recently revealed that she’d love the continue working in the humanitarian field with partner Jamie:
‘Cambodia is where I started out, so there were a lot of memories there for me anyway, I always miss being in the field,’
‘You’ll see tonight that these mines look very ominous and they do still function even decades after conflict unless someone does something about it.’
‘I would love to do that, to keep reconciling my post and pre Love Island life, the struggles I’ve faced on that and it coming together, I’ve reached that and Jamie is such a big part of it too.
‘We’ve got lots of projects that we’re planning together, but sometimes you’ve got to take things as they come.’
2019- She’s Also Started A Business With Jamie
Cam and BF Jamie have recently started up LOVE Jamilla: an eco-friendly, cruelty-free, vegan company.
[dx_custom_adunit mobile_id=”RTK_0mO0″]
They sell all things health and beauty – from candles to eye creams! Cam revealed:
“As it turned out ‘jameela’ means beauty in Arabic — and as a name translates as Jamila. In Arabic, jameela doesn’t just mean beauty as in good looking; it means a deep inner beauty — the kind of beauty that means you try and help people; you try and show compassion.”
2019- She’s Welcomed A New Addition To Her Family!
OK, OK – it might not be a HUGE part of Camilla’s rise to fame, but getting a newborn puppy is pretty life-changing in our eyes…
Audrey (Camilla’s new puppy) was born just before Christmas – isn’t she adorable!
[dx_custom_adunit mobile_id=”RTK_QejT]
