My parents always say that the way I look at life doesn’t come from them. My mum used to joke, ‘Molly’s not ours, she’s the milkman’s child!’ because it just wasn’t really normal in my family to have all this ambition, to have these big dreams … but then there was my auntie Jackie.
I often say that a lot of my ambition came from my auntie Jackie – that’s my dad’s sister. She really was someone who I truly looked up to when I was growing up. She had an incredible job. She drove an incredible car (a Porsche). She had an incredible house. She was always draped in Louis Vuitton bags and designer clothes – my mum says that I definitely got my love for the nicer things in life from my auntie! And she was always seeing really successful guys. Plus, she was just beautiful, with long blonde hair; she really looked after herself.
But the fancy clothes and bags and cars weren’t the reasons I admired Jackie. I looked up to her because she taught me that you could do it for yourself: Jackie was an accountant, which is what gave her this great lifestyle. When I looked at my auntie, I knew: That’s the life I want to live. I want to be like her when I’m older. I want to have money of my own. I want to be an independent, strong woman.
Even as a child, I just knew that whatever I ended up doing, it needed to be big and out of the ordinary. And though they might not necessarily want all the same things from life as I do, my family has always been so understanding and supportive of that. They’ve let me be myself – and supported in me in so many ways – which I’m so grateful for. As you’ll see, they really helped me get started, first as an influencer, and later as I grew my businesses.
But to start, let’s go back a bit earlier …
I was born in 1999 in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, at Lister Hospital, with a distinctive strawberry birthmark on my forehead (and no, I don’t have it anymore). I grew up in Hitchin, another town in Hertfordshire, and lived in the same house almost all my childhood with my mum, Deborah; dad, Stephen; and sister, Zoe, who’s three years older than me. My parents met working in the police. They’ve both had long careers with the Hertfordshire police force: my mum started as a police officer, then worked in the control room answering 999 calls, while my dad ended up as an inspector before retiring from the police. I’ve always loved telling people they were police officers and am super proud that those were their jobs.
My family is so small: no cousins, only one living grandparent – just tiny. Both my grandparents on my dad’s side died when I was really young, while my mother’s dad died when she was only 24. When I talk on Instagram about how small our family is, my dad will sometimes message me, reminding me, ‘Molly, you have lots of cousins twice removed that follow you on here!’ But to me, my family is the people who were there on Christmas Day and on birthdays: my mum, dad and sister, my nana (my mum’s mum) and my auntie Jackie. (And since they remember these early years better than me, I’ll let them tell you a bit about what I was like, too.)
When I think back to my childhood, I always think about the holidays we had as a family. We never went to Disneyland or Florida or anything like that for our holidays – we’d go to the Isle of Man for a walking trip, hiking every day, or something like that. My parents would take me and my sister to climb ridiculously big mountains like Snowdon in Wales and Helvellyn in the Lake District! We were such an active family.
Our sporty lifestyle was mostly driven by my dad. He’s always kept fit and is actually an ultramarathon runner these days, so it makes sense that he pushed me and Zoe to get into sports and be healthy. He was always taking the two of us swimming or running, and if there was adrenalin involved, he’d jump in feet first. When we’d go on a family outing to a theme park or water park, for instance, he’d be the one taking us round on all the rides. I think he loved them as much as we did! So in that way he was just a big kid and a really cool dad to grow up with.
While my mum was active too, she’s the one who encouraged my creative, theatrical side. Raising us girls, she was just the most dedicated, caring mum. She wanted the best for us and really inspired me to go for my dreams. Not only that, but she went to great lengths to help me make them happen. From when I was young and showed a desire to perform onstage, she’d drive me to theatre auditions all over the country. One year, a theatre group we knew about was putting on a production of Annie, and I really wanted to get the lead role. Like I said, she took me all over the place to audition for it, and I know that even if I’d got the part at a theatre three hours away, she’d have been there, taking me to every rehearsal – she was that invested. (Sadly I was never cast for anything but the chorus! But more on that later …)
On Sundays we used to go to church, because my nana is really religious, and we’d have a roast dinner, but that wasn’t really our special family time. The happy family time that I remember having together would be on those walking holidays: going to the Lake District, going to Wales, walking round the Isle of Man – that was sort of how we bonded as a family.
My friends would be on summer holidays to America or Egypt, and I’d be in waterproof trousers and a rain mac, walking 12 miles a day at eight years old. I walked up Snowdon at six, which just goes to show the way my parents were: there was no opting out of things like that. (Looking back, I think my mum would have probably wanted to go to Florida as well! But my dad loved those active holidays, so we’d do it for him.)
We weren’t just an active family on holidays, either. I was put into every single extracurricular activity possible. First it was ballet and Brownies, when I was younger. Later on, I swam five times a week, ran twice a week, played an instrument (the cello), had singing lessons, was in the local youth orchestra and the choir, did Irish dancing … you name it. If there was a club, I was in it.
Molly’s mum, Deborah: ‘As a child, Molly was strong-willed, adorable, beautiful, entertaining, funny, and loved putting on little shows – she loved the stage, but was never picked for the main roles (only ever the chorus), which was always a source of frustration for her. She was self-driven and won a competition for a teen magazine photo shoot at about age 11, which she entered herself. She knew her own mind, even if that meant getting her gorgeous long hair cut off in preference for a Frankie from The Saturdays look.’ (Which I will tell you about later!)
‘She was a talented cellist – she was never going to play an instrument that any of the other children in her class played. But she was her swimming coach’s worst nightmare … She hated swimming and put little effort into her training. As a result he often had her out on the side doing press-ups as punishment!
‘As Molly got older, she and I had an amazing bond. She would never want to go on sleepovers and always wanted to be at home. When she went on a school ski trip, she was terribly homesick. But she was very confident: later on, when she started with Insta, she knew exactly what look she wanted. Sometimes she’d reject hundreds of photos!
‘How would I describe her these days? She is unargumentative and generous. She loves her family and friends deeply. She is charitable and always gives to the homeless, just the same as when she was a child and would give up a bar of chocolate for someone living on the street. She’s very humane and sensitive (she would never watch the film Marley & Me, as it’s about the death of a dog). And she hates blood and needles (yet loves a horror film). Her bad habit now is only being in contact when she has a problem. I guess that’s what mums are for!
‘In the future, I would love to see her in a presenting role on TV. I would like her to use her platform to be a good role model for young women. I would like her to be financially secure for life. Most of all, I want her to be healthy and happy and have a long life.’
As I’ve said, my parents were really sporty – both marathon runners. Zoe, too, is very talented at sport, but that was more her thing than mine. These days, Zoe’s a medic and a PT in the army, so she basically trains the other army members to be fit. Whatever I did, I tried to do it to the best of my ability. (OK, maybe not so much with the swimming! But I didn’t really get that sporty gene.)
In almost every activity I did, there was an element of competition. From the swimming to the running to the Irish dancing, there was always that scrutiny. Still, I was never actually that good at anything that I did then, but I was fine with that. It didn’t bother me whatsoever.
At one point, the swimming coach actually suggested to my dad not to bring me anymore. He told him, ‘She’s not any good. She’s actually holding the rest of the squad up – we’re having to not carry on to the next 100-metre freestyle, because she’s still finishing that 100-metre backstroke. She can’t do it!’
But my dad told him, ‘She’s doing it and she will get better at it.’ Even if I’d never be a champion swimmer, I was learning a real lesson in perseverance: how to commit to something without expecting an immediate reward.
Molly’s dad, Stephen: ‘Molly was a difficult baby in terms of lots of projectile vomiting, which bounced off the wardrobe doors in her bedroom like a scene from The Exorcist.’ (Thanks, Dad!) ‘She was a light sleeper, too: I used to have to lie on the floor next to her cot and have a hand on her back through the bars, then crawl out of the room when she finally slept – then she would wake the minute I was over the threshold, so I spent a lot of time sat in the rocking chair in her room with her.
‘As a kid she was delightful and energetic and fun from the off – I used to love my time with her when I was on rest days from the police and Zoe was at nursery or school. I would take Molly to the local pub, where they had a large soft-play area, and we would play and draw and colour for hours – such great fun. I also used to take her to a large shopping centre with designer clothes shops from a young age as it was a safe space for her to wander and had lots to see. So maybe it’s my fault she got into some things! We’d go there with my mum and have a walk and a cake and spend time just watching the world.
‘As dad to two daughters, I felt it was unfair for a girl to have the birthmark in such a prominent location – I used to get into verbal fights with people who said rude things about it when they saw it and only because I was a copper did I stop myself “chinning” a few. Once she started school, she was a cheeky monkey: teachers either loved her or didn’t – at a young age it was 90 per cent who loved her, and the birthmark gave her an adorable quality. A lot of people stood up for her and protected her from cruel remarks – I genuinely think this birthmark defined some of her resilience to the media that she has now.
‘As a youngster, Molly was always looking for her passion. Eventually, she found herself in terms of Irish dancing and some stage acting and singing at school. I would absolutely love taking her to full-weekend Irish feis (competitions) and often was the only dad there doing his daughter’s hair or helping the mums do the food. Again, it was such fun and I loved cheering her on.
‘Molly joined her sister at swimming and spent many hours at swim training, but I remember she was just there for the social time and chats with mates. Now, I can see it was her character: she is and always has been a people person. Other parents loved her; teachers and instructors found her frustrating as she knew her own mind and stood her ground – great qualities I watched develop in her and now see as strong parts of her being. She would always argue with me, but from a fact-based point, and she’d often win. I’d then find myself resorting to “I’m your dad, do as I say.”
‘She was always too scared to go on school trips and stay away from home or sleep over at friends’ places. She would go and then come running back in the late hours. At the same time, she was always outgoing. She and Zoe would sing, dance and play together so well on camping trips and keep each other entertained – they would make fun of me constantly, as I had no rhythm or timing and couldn’t dance. They would often say, “Dad, keep the beat to this,” as we were driving, and they knew I had no chance!’
For me, my favourite thing of all was Irish dancing. I was dancing from a young age, six or seven, and I really, really loved that. It wasn’t something that ran in our family: it was just that, one evening at the pub, a friend of my mum’s had mentioned that she was taking her daughter to this Irish dancing class. My mum thought, Oh, I’ll send Molly with her, then – and that was it. Soon, I was dancing three times a week. No one at school was doing Irish dancing; it was seen as a really different hobby to have. But again, it was that thing of my always wanting to be doing something a bit different.
My parents would take me to all the feis competitions and it could get expensive as well, to buy all the kit: we needed special dresses, shoes and even wigs. In Irish dancing, you wear wigs made up of loads of ringlets so that when you jump, the ringlets bounce up to give the illusion that you’re jumping higher, to impress the judges. One of these wigs would cost maybe £100, which felt like so much money to spend on a wig at that age. When my auntie Jackie bought me one for my birthday, I just thought it was the best thing I’d ever been given. It was completely the wrong colour for me, because I had quite mousy brown hair then, and this wig was bright blonde. I didn’t care! I loved a bit of glam, even then.
Despite the glam, it was hard work: it’s crazy, the commitment that goes into Irish dancing. I did it for quite a few years, eventually placing fourth in the All England competition when I was about 14. I wouldn’t say I was ever really that good at it, but I did love it. It was just so fun.
Auntie Jackie: ‘Growing up, Molly was fantastic to be with: fun, laughing, always giggling – her personality shone through from an early age. I have to say she loved clothes and dressing up, and had a real passion for her appearance, which is no surprise when we look at where she is today. She was constantly changing outfits, and you could also see that when she was doing her Irish dancing, she absolutely adored this and getting into costume. I remember when she was about six, I bought her a beautiful Irish dancing wig, which she took great pleasure in wearing.
‘She was fun, loving, caring, but very focused. I think she struggled to find her real passion in her early to mid-teens – but then when she did find it, she absolutely blossomed and really found out what she wanted to do with her life. Today, clearly, she’s very busy, and very driven, but she’s got a clear vision for her future. And she’s learning all the time, and has had to learn incredibly quickly since she came out of Love Island, which I think she struggled with at the start. But now, she’s got a good team around her and she’s doing incredibly well.
‘The best things about Molly? Her vision, her drive, her artistic nature and how hard she works to achieve her goals. The worst things? That’s really tricky. I would say probably one of her weaknesses, which hopefully she’d agree with, is the fact she doesn’t like conflict or having disagreements with people – that will come with experience and knowing how to handle things. But I think we can also say that when she feels that she’s right, she will absolutely argue her corner. I would also say that she has a weakness for expensive things, but she probably got that from me at an early age. So I’m not going to worry … or take any blame for that whatsoever!
‘In the future, I see only good things: happiness and health – those will bring her all the rewards that she wants. And I see her increasing her profile, not just on social media but in the wider world as well. With hopefully some exciting new ventures that she’s got coming up …’
Schoolwork, of course, took up a lot of time, too. My parents always wanted me and Zoe to achieve great things and be high-performing kids in everything we did. They weren’t the sort of parents that would ever let us get away with not doing our homework. I had after-school tutors for subjects that I wasn’t really doing well in. And if I ever got detention at school, I would be absolutely petrified to tell my dad because I really respected my parents, and my sister and I just never wanted to upset them. I never wanted to let them down – especially my dad, as he had really high expectations.
Between school and all our activities, Zoe and I were kept really busy. My parents’ friends would sometimes tell them, ‘You need to let the girls have some time off!’ If I wanted to go to a friend’s house for tea, I usually wouldn’t be able to because I’d have three after-school clubs that day. I’d have already been swimming and running before I even got to my Irish dancing class at eight in the evening. Zoe was just as busy, and – though we were very different – we got on very well, and still do.
Molly’s sister, Zoe: ‘The main thing that stands out for me about growing up with Molly is how different we were but how well we got along. Molly always liked the finer things in life – loved to be up to date with the latest fashion trends. She was incredibly outgoing; there was never silence or a dull moment. Even going to family dos or meeting people for the first time, I’d always leave Molly to do the talking because she can just waffle so well!
‘At school I remember being so proud of her and wanting everyone to know she was my sister. She loved acting and singing, and in my eyes had such potential. But teachers never really seemed to like her (I think because she was so loud and confident), so she always just got the parts in the chorus.
‘Molly to me now is the most generous sister ever, always offering to pay for things, buy me things. Still liking the finer things in life but also appreciating you don’t have to spend a fortune to look nice. When anyone ever asks me about her, I always describe her as someone with their head screwed on and who knows, business-wise, what she wants. I believe she’s done so well in her job because she knows what is going to make her succeed in life. There was a number of times at the start of coming out of Love Island when Molly’s manager, Fran, would ask her if she wanted to work with certain companies, and Molly would give her a straight “NO!”
‘I know now that Molly will always be at the other end of the phone for me, and vice versa. I’ve always said she’ll be the only person I can ever really trust, and I know she feels the same way about me. We’ll always have a bond that I’ll be forever grateful for, and I’m glad that she’ll always be my best friend.
‘Saying all this, sometimes Molly is so busy, I struggle to get ahold of her. But honestly that’s the only negative I have to say – oh, and that she doesn’t let me borrow her nice clothes! But other than that I can’t fault her. Molly has a very exciting future ahead of her. I can tell this is only the start. She and Fran, working together, will have some great ideas planned. I know Molly is excited to have a family with Tommy one day, although I always tell her not to rush! I’m very excited to be a part of Molly’s future and can’t wait to see what she has in store for herself.’
My parents were happy as long as I was busy with my activities and focusing on my schoolwork. But they could be strict. Growing up, I wasn’t allowed to even go into shops that were a bit more expensive or label-y when I was with my mum. She didn’t really bring me up to be interested in all that (but of course I drifted in that direction anyway, because of my auntie!). Mum is just so not materialistic. She’s not into anything designer – loves to shop in charity shops. My parents also made me learn all my times tables before I could get my ears pierced. I was 10 when I finally got them done!
I remember specifically an argument we had a few years later, when I was 14 and all my girlfriends were going to get their acrylic nails put on for the summer … I was just not allowed. My dad’s position was, ‘There’s just not a chance. You’re too young.’ I was crying for three days because all I wanted were these acrylic nails that all my friends were getting. But that’s how strict my parents were, even with little things like that. They really didn’t want me to grow up too quickly. At school, I was known as the police officer’s daughter, and I think my dad’s job – both my parents’ jobs, being in the police, but my dad was the stricter one – did impact the way they brought us up.
When my friends started drinking at parties, from the get-go I knew I wasn’t going to, because if my dad found out, it just wouldn’t have been worth it. I wouldn’t even have tried to get away with that! I did, however, get a bit more freedom as I got older, especially if I was with Zoe – they trusted her to look after me. I actually went to my first club with Zoe. We managed to get into a pool bar called Osinsky’s, which turned into a club as the night went on. It was the place where everybody in Hitchin went on the weekend. Zoe was very protective of me – she was like another mum to me back then (she wouldn’t let me drink alcohol that night!) – and it was a really fun night. But I knew what the boundaries were, and I wasn’t going to do anything wild or that I felt would have let my parents down.
I really wouldn’t change the way they raised me, as much as it could be annoying. For instance, when I turned 14, their attitude was, ‘If you want to go into town with your friends, you need to go get a job and start working to earn your money – we’re not going to give you money for that.’ And it was exciting for me at that age, the thought of having my own money and being able to buy my own things. I really wanted to get a job so I could go into town with my friends and buy clothes. A lot of my friends were getting jobs, too, doing paper rounds and other things. I knew I didn’t want to do a paper round – working somewhere like a hairdresser seemed much more up my street.
So, I wrote a CV, and I went round town with my dad. I really was so nervous at first. I even made him go into one hairdresser and hand in my CV as I stood outside. But the receptionist told him, ‘If it’s for her, then she needs to come and hand in the CV herself!’ So, I did – and by the end of the day, I’d handed my CV to what felt like every single hairdresser in Hertfordshire to try to get a job. In the end, I got a good job at a salon, working there all day every Saturday and after school on Thursdays. The manager was really scary, so it was petrifying at times, but overall I was quite happy getting paid five pounds an hour to just sweep the floor, make tea and wash hair (which I was never very good at).
I’m glad my parents helped me to build a strong work ethic from a young age. So yes, they pushed me in every aspect of my life. And I think I’ll raise my kids, when it happens for me in the future, the exact same way, because I think my upbringing and their values – the importance of hard work, of doing the right thing and of achieving your absolute best – really did shape me in terms of becoming who I am now.