Cara De La Hoyde is a British reality television personality who won the second series of Love Island in 2016 alongside Nathan Massey. She remains best known for that victory and for building a lasting family with her winning partner, a rare outcome among the show’s couples. The couple married in 2019 and share two children.
Before entering the villa, Cara De La Hoyde built an unusual career portfolio. She worked as a glamour model and appeared on the adult television channel Studio 66, later describing the work as financially lucrative but ultimately unfulfilling. She also performed as a circus artist for Cirque Le Soir, travelling internationally for aerial hoop routines that involved fire and snakes. This background distinguished her from the typical reality TV contestant profile.
Her Love Island journey began on the first episode of series two. Cara coupled up with Nathan Massey immediately, and the pair remained together for the entire season. They were the only original couple to survive the full run, a fact that made them fan favourites throughout the five-week competition. In the final, they secured 54% of the public vote, a landslide victory that earned them the £50,000 prize, which they split. Host Caroline Flack announced them as winners in July 2016.
The period after the show tested the relationship severely. Despite moving in together and appearing as guest stars on The Only Way Is Essex, the couple announced an amicable split in April 2017. At the time, Cara was pregnant with their first child, a fact she initially kept private. The separation proved temporary. They reconciled before their son’s birth, and by July 2018, Nathan had proposed at the original Love Island villa, returning to the place where they met. Cara later reflected on the proposal, noting the significance of coming full circle.
Their son, Freddie-George, was born on December 13, 2017. The couple married on June 28, 2019, in a ceremony at Preston Court in Canterbury, Kent. Their management confirmed the wedding, stating the couple were “surrounded by family and friends and are still elated after their special day”. Their second child, a daughter named Delilah, arrived in July 2020, making them a family of four. Unlike many reality television romances that fade quickly, their relationship has endured for nearly a decade.Cara De La Hoyde Quick Bio
| Field | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Cara De La Hoyde (also known as Cara Delahoyde-Massey) |
| Age | 36 (born 10 July 1990) |
| Birthplace | Gravesend, Kent, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Profession | Reality TV personality, glamour model, circus performer |
| Height | 5 ft 3 in (approx. 160 cm) |
| Education | Not publicly verified; reportedly aspired to become a midwife before entering modelling |
| Years Active | 2016 to present (public profile began with Love Island) |
| Notable Works | Love Island UK Season 2 (winner, 2016); guest appearances on The Only Way Is Essex |
| Awards | Winner of Love Island UK Season 2 with Nathan Massey |
| Net Worth | Combined net worth with Nathan Massey reported at £1.3 million (2023 estimate) |
| Spouse/Partner | Nathan Massey (married 28 June 2019) |
| Social Media | Instagram: @cara_delahoyde (approx. 1.05 million followers) |
Notes: Education history and exact personal net worth are not independently verifiable through authoritative sources. The combined net worth figure is a media estimate and should be treated as indicative rather than definitive.
Cara has spoken candidly about how the show itself has transformed since her season. In a 2025 interview, she revealed that contestants in 2016 shared clothing and bikinis due to tight budgets and had limited awareness of how long they would remain in the villa. She also disclosed a stricter rule about meal times: producers would change microphone batteries to prevent contestants from talking during meals. Comparing her experience to the current era, she said the show is “more ruthless and scary now” and admitted she doubts she could handle the contemporary pressure. She noted that her season predated TikTok entirely, and contestants assumed they would return to normal jobs after a few personal appearances.
Her perspective on the show’s evolution extends to structural critiques. Speaking to Zingo Bingo in 2026, Cara suggested the minimum age for contestants should be raised to 21, expressing discomfort watching very young participants as she has grown older. She also argued that the programme has become too sanitised, advocating for the return of the smoking area and “raunchier scenes” to restore the drama that defined earlier seasons. She acknowledged producers likely avoid this to pursue BAFTA recognition, but maintained that the drama would follow if they reversed course. Her season is remembered as one of the most unfiltered in the show’s history, featuring controversies such as Zara Holland being stripped of her Miss Great Britain title after an on-screen intimacy scene.
Cara De La Hoyde occupies a distinctive position in British reality television. She won the show, married her winning partner, and raised a family while maintaining a public profile that feels grounded rather than performative. Her reflections on the programme’s changes offer a rare insider perspective on how Love Island has shifted from a summer experiment with modest expectations into a high-pressure entertainment machine. For viewers who watched her win in 2016, her story remains one of the franchise’s most stable and quietly satisfying outcomes.
Q: Who is Cara De La Hoyde?
A: She is a British reality TV personality best known for winning Love Island UK season 2 in 2016 with Nathan Massey . Before the show, she worked as a glamour model and circus performer .
Q: Are Cara De La Hoyde and Nathan Massey still together?
A: Yes. They married on June 28, 2019, and remain one of the show’s few lasting success stories . They briefly split in 2017 before reconciling .
Q: How many children do Cara and Nathan have?
A: They have two children: son Freddie-George, born December 2017, and daughter Delilah, born July 2020 .
Q: What has Cara said about changes to Love Island?
A: In a 2026 interview, she suggested raising the minimum age to 21 and argued the show should bring back “raunchier scenes” and the smoking area for more drama .
Q: What did Cara do before appearing on Love Island?
A: She worked as a glamour model for Studio 66 and performed as a circus artist for Cirque Le Soir, doing aerial hoop routines involving fire and snakes .
