I was a millionaire at 21 – I don’t get time for dating girls, says Love Island star Wes Nelson

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JUST two years ago, Love Island star Wes Nelson earned notoriety after a fabled romp with then-girlfriend Megan Barton Hanson in a disabled loo at Southend Airport.

The former nuclear engineer has since revealed he has become a millionaire at 21 and counts celebs including actor Idris Elba and boxing champ Anthony Joshua among his pals.

Wes Nelson says he has no time to date women, having previously dated Megan Barton Hanson after meeting on Love Island

Now Stoke-born Wes has told how his fledgling solo pop career leaves him no time to date women.

Speaking exclusively to HOAR on Sunday, he said: “I’m not really focused on girls or anything right now. I just want to focus on my career.

“Girls and friends — they come and go and they understand that.

“All my friends understand that ‘Wes is working his ar*e off, just give him a second’.

The former nuclear engineer revealed he has become a millionaire at 21

“But everything else and stuff like girls? It doesn’t really bother me at the moment and I’m quite happy just working on my career.

“Obviously, if it was Rihanna, that would be mental. You never know . . . ”

Wes went on to say there are now no hard feelings between him and Megan, who he coupled up with on the 2018 series of Love Island.

The pair split a year later while Wes was competing on ITV1’s Dancing On Ice alongside stunning German dancer ­Vanessa Bauer, 24.

Stoke-born Wes has been focusing on his fledgling solo pop career

He later admitted that the telly pairing had made things “difficult” for Megan.

He added: “Megan and I are on good terms. She congratulated me on my music. I’m happy.”

Wes also revealed how the pandemic made him turn his back on reality TV shows in favour of a music career.

The star made waves on the fourth series of Love Island, ­wooing air stewardess Laura Anderson, 29, with his washboard abs before moving on to legal PA Megan, 26.

The pandemic made Wes turn his back on reality TV shows in favour of a music career

After finishing fourth on the show in July 2018, the pair moved in together and bought a pet hamster.

The next month a video emerged of them sneaking into a disabled toilet at ­Southend Airport when their flight was delayed, with people claiming they came out 13 minutes later ­looking “happy”.

The lovers later joked the video was “tampered with”.

HOAR on Sunday placed a blue commemorative plaque on the cubicle door to mark their cheeky feat.

Megan and Wes moved in together after finishing fourth on Love Island in July 2018

HOAR on Sunday placed a blue commemorative plaque at the site of Wes and Megan’s fabled romp in a disabled loo at Southend Airport

But they split in January 2019 amid rumours Megan was unhappy with his close relationship with pro skater Vanessa.

Megan announced in a tongue-in-cheek statement that they were to “consciously uncouple”, echoing the 2014 divorce statement of A-listers Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow.

She added they would “co-parent” their hamster.

Wes later found love with another Love Island alumni, Arabella Chi, 29, but the relationship ended in April after nine months.

The couple split while Wes was competing on Dancing On Ice alongside stunning dancer ­Vanessa Bauer

He told how work pressures had led to his split from the model, who appeared on the 2019 series of the ITV2 dating show.

Wes has since decided to remain single, saying he is “not in a position to give someone my best”.

He now prioritises his business ventures, including property investment, modelling and a solo music career, all of which are booming.

He said: “I was a millionaire at 21. That’s not showing off or anything.”

There were rumours Megan was unhappy with his close relationship with pro skater Vanessa

In the months after leaving the Love Island villa, Wes was reported to have earned £300,000 from a 56-date nightclub PA tour.

He has also endorsed online ­clothing brand BoohooMan.

But the reality star, who said he enjoys ­occasional splurges on designer ­fashion, added: “I think just by wise investments, understanding that this ­lifestyle doesn’t last forever, you’ve got to be able to invest and grow, grow what you have, I’ve done well.

“I buy a lot of clothes. That’s about it. I’m more of a garments guy.

Wes found love with Love Island alumni Arabella Chi, but the relationship ended after nine months

“I like things that you can’t get. That’s what I like. I like rare clothes.

“But I haven’t changed. Circumstances have changed — the way that I live is different than it was before — but I haven’t changed. I’m still Wes from Stoke.

“The only thing that’s changed over this past two years is my confidence. And that can’t be taught.

“That’s something that builds and especially with Love Island and doing television — and being in the public eye dealing with that has given me the confidence. But you can’t get ahead of yourself.

Wes has decided to remain single, saying he is ‘not in a position to give someone my best’

“I’ve not achieved everything that I want to achieve.”

Wes’s primary focus is propelling himself to pop stardom with new ­single See Nobody, which entered the charts at No22 last month.

Wes got his first taste of the music    industry when he   appeared in foursome No Love Lost on The X Factor: ­Celebrity last year.

The reality TV supergroup, featuring fellow Islanders Eyal Booker, Zara McDermott and Samira Mighty, came eighth before splitting in March so they could pursue solo projects.

The reality star says he enjoys ­occasional splurges on designer ­fashion

He signed a deal with Universal Music Group and EMI Records in August and revealed last month he had turned down an offer to work with Syco Entertainment, the label of X Factor boss Simon Cowell.

During lockdown, Wes turned the spare room in his London flat, where he lives alone, into a temporary music studio.

He said: “I kind of like being on my own.

“My second room is my studio so I just have my studio in here. I like it because I can work on music ­whenever I want.

Wes got his first taste of the music    industry when he   appeared in foursome No Love Lost on The X Factor: ­Celebrity

“I can be as loud as I want with the songs I’m creating. I don’t have to worry about anything. It’s my gaff.

“I can watch whatever I want on Netflix or just have complete peace because it’s my gaff.

“It’s nice to have that freedom. Now I just roll out of bed and go straight to my studio.

“Previously, I’d have been doing more television stuff back to back and if I’d not been concentrating on my music I’d probably have been just going from hotel to hotel for different TV shows.”

Wes signed a deal with Universal Music Group and EMI Records in August

Wes added that it was “easy to get distracted” when he had girlfriends and denied his debut rap tune — which features the lyrics “Heart on my Dior top, emotional, ex ting, she ain’t grown at all” — is about ­Arabella.

And his music has been given the seal of approval by A-listers including Idris, Anthony and ­Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling, who Wes now calls friends.

He said: “It is a bit of a pinch me moment, very surreal. These guys are GOATS (Greatest Of All Time) in their field.

“Idris is a super-nice guy. I do see a lot of them. But it’s no big deal. They’re just humans, remember — it’s just that these guys are absolutely ­killing it.”

Despite making the move into music, Wes insists he has not given up on TV altogether

But Wes admitted there are pitfalls to fame. He said: “Sometimes you do get a bit anxious. I think it’s natural. I walk in certain places and you feel like there are people looking.

“I’m not an A-lister — let’s not get it messed up. But the contrasting attention and the lack of privacy now compared to before can get to you if you’re not careful and if you don’t stay true to yourself.

“I went on Love Island and walked out with someone at the time, so I was happy then. I have no regrets.”

And despite making the move into music, Wes insisted he has not given up on TV altogether, with HOAR this week revealing he has signed up for ultra-tough Channel 4 show Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins.

He said: “TV is definitely something that I will be doing, but nowhere near the forefront of what I was doing before.

“You definitely won’t be seeing me on Celebrity Bargain Hunt.”

And a final word on that disabled loo romp? Er, no.

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