Former Love Island contestant Rosie Williams has said she has done more for empowering women by appearing on the dating programme than by sticking with her career as a lawyer.
Rosie, who is the latest singleton to have left the dating show, defended herself against repeated knock-backs from Piers Morgan during an appearance on Good Morning Britain, and has also said she can return to law whenever she wishes.
Morgan asked her: “You achieved a postgraduate Master of Law degree from the University of Chester, and you’ve given up all that to go into a villa full of half-wits who try and have sex on national TV.
“Why, why would you do that?”
Rosie said: “It was a once in a lifetime opportunity that came my way.”
Morgan asked what her family thought of her “giving up this extraordinarily good, successful law career to make yourself look stupid on national TV”, to which she replied: “My family were very proud of me – I don’t think I made myself look stupid on TV.”
She added: “I was working 18-hour days in a law firm, getting sleepless nights, it’s not as glamorous as it seems. This once in a lifetime opportunity came up and it seemed like the best thing for me.
“When I’m working 18-hour days I don’t have a lot of time to go out and meet men and try and find love, it’s been very difficult for me.
“I’ve studied for eight years, there’s not a lot of time for me, and this was a time to actually spend 24 hours a day with, hopefully, someone I could spend the rest of my life with.”
Rosie also said she feels she has helped more people by appearing on Love Island – during which she reprimanded her ex-partner Adam Collard on his behaviour towards her when a new girl he liked entered the villa – than she did working in civil and business law.
“I did always in my legal career want to make a difference, and I wanted to go into criminal and family law but there’s no money in there right now,” she said.
“I ended up going into the civil and business side which isn’t where my heart was, and I feel like now I have a voice and a large following, hopefully I can make a difference with empowering women.”
Morgan retorted: “Oh, come off it Rosie.”
Rosie doing it for all the girls who've ever been played. 💪
Adam didn't see this one coming… #LoveIsland pic.twitter.com/muz0CuC8yX
— Love Island (@LoveIsland) June 12, 2018
“I’ve helped them through break-ups, I’ve helped them not feel victimised and that they can stand up to themselves,” she continued, after being cut off by the presenter.
“You think you’ve done more for empowering women by walking away from a very good law degree, then career…” Morgan started, before Rosie interjected: “I haven’t walked away from it – I can go back if I want, it’s never gone away.”
She added: “Unless you are a lawyer, Piers, I don’t think you can say whether or not I could make a difference in my job.”
Good Morning Britain host Susanna Reid praised Rosie for standing up to Adam, who has been widely criticised by fans of the show and by leading domestic abuse charity Women’s Aid, who said there were “clear warning signs” in his behaviour.