Love Island star Michael Griffiths ‘still cares’ about ex-Amber Gill and has found it ‘difficult to date’ since being on the show.
The former firefighter, 29, told MailOnline that while he’s got to know a number of girls since starring on the ITV2 series, he’s only interested in friendship as he works to establish his career.
Michael, who dumped Amber for Joanna Chimonides, said he doesn’t hold any ‘grudges’ against his former flame after she went onto win the £50,000 cash prize.
‘I wish her the absolute best’: Love Island star Michael Griffiths ‘still cares’ about ex-Amber Gill and has found it ‘difficult to date’ since being on the show
In an exclusive interview, he said: ‘I’ll say hello to Amber, I’m not rude – I’m not a rude person.
‘I do still care about her and I care about if she’s doing well. I wish her the absolute best, do you know what I mean?
‘There’s no point in me holding grudges and what happened in the past, happened in the past. If you hold onto it it’s just going to upset you even more.’
Amber was mortified after Michael returned from Casa Amor with another woman – but the brutal dumping earned her the respect of the nation.
Single: The former firefighter told MailOnline that while he’s got to know a number of girls since starring on the ITV2 series, he’s only interested in friendship for the foreseeable future
She has since become one of the most lucrative islanders from the 2019 series, following high-profile deals with the likes of Misspap and Littlewoods.
Michael admits he has ‘no regrets’ from his time in the villa and he’s happy to remain single for the foreseeable future.
He said: ‘I don’t regret anything from that point of view.
‘After Love Island, I found it difficult to date, right now the way I see it I just have to concentrate on myself and becoming the best version of myself I can be by concentrating on work and my career.
Love Island winner: Amber was mortified after Michael returned from Casa Amor with another woman – but the brutal dumping earned her the respect of the nation
‘Once I feel I’m okay and happy, then I will potentially look for love, I won’t look for it but I will be open to meeting someone.
‘There are plenty of people that I’ve spoken to that I could have potentially had a thing with but I’ve just stayed friends with them – and it’s good to have friendships too.’
Michael has moved from his native Liverpool to Essex where he lives with former co-stars Jordan Hames, Chris Taylor and Danny Williams.
The boys, who star together in MTV’s Living The Dream, have been Michael’s rock throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
‘It’s good to have friendships’: Michael said after his failed relationships with Amber, Joanna and Love Island’s Ellie Brown, that he’s found it ‘difficult to date’ but he has no regrets
As a result of the virus, Michael has been unable to see his family for over 10 months, which has proven difficult for the Ex on the Beach star.
Michael’s family, including his parents, siblings and nephews, are all based in Liverpool, one of the hardest hit cities in the country and currently under Tier 3 regulations from the government.
He said: ‘It isn’t easy being away from my family for so long. I haven’t seen my family for nearly 10 months.
‘I am from a big family and I am close to all of them and FaceTime has made it easier, I can FaceTime my mum and dad, my nephews, brothers and sisters, so that made it a little easier. But being physically there is very different.
‘Upsetting’: Michael has been unable to see his family who live in Liverpool for the last 10 months as a result of the virus, which has proven difficult for the Ex on the Beach star
‘I have heard about Liverpool being particularly hard-hit by the virus which is upsetting as all my family are there. My sister is a paramedic and there’s high risk in the family as well.’
Talking about self-filming for digital series Living The Dream, Michael said: ‘What you can expect is a lot of randomness from me and the boys, joking about with each other, pranking each other, we also get to do some mad challenges.
‘It was strange in a sense that we were filming it ourselves but we got used to it straight away. It was pretty much our first experience filming at home or taking into account social distancing, but we’re fine as we are a household.’
MTV’s Living The Dream launches on MTV digital platforms Friday 16th October