By Khrista Davis
Khrista Davis tells a moving story of how Love Island’s Malin Andersson battled through hardships and used 2020 to help her blossom in her healing journey
Life hasn’t been kind to Love Island’s Malin Andersson since she first got her big break on TV, in fact that’s an understatement, it has been brutal.
Fame can bring a lot of things your way, but what came Andersson’s way, you wouldn’t want to wish it on your worst enemy.
In three years, she has been through what some of us wouldn’t endure in a lifetime. Bereavement, domestic violence, and the heart-breaking loss of a child – things that would break the best of us.
But she’s made of strong stuff and in 2020 Andersson fought back and began her healing journey.
There was nothing to say what was on the horizon that day in August 2016. Being a public figure with paparazzi pictures of her in the tabloids, she probably thought her life would be the glitz and glamorous influencer type.
On December 23, 2018, Andersson welcomed her baby into the world and named her Consy, after her late mother who passed away from cancer in 2017.
Baby Consy was born seven weeks premature and was moved to the intensive care unit at Great Ormond Street hospital in London. But to Andersson’s horror, Consy passed away on January 22, 2019. Andersson and Kemp came together to bury their daughter.
Left with nothing but a scar from her caesarean as a reminder, Andersson refers to herself as the ‘mum without a baby’. And that wasn’t the only blow of the year…
As the months went on, Andersson later came out and told the public how she has been in a two-year emotional and physical abusive relationship with the father of her late child, Tom Kemp.
In a relationship like that you don’t know what to expect, but this wasn’t her first abusive relationship.
However, this time round the abuse began with the showering of love and gifts.
And as their relationship progressed, that’s when the physical and mental abuse began.
Having had enough, Andersson finally picked up the courage and left her relationship.
She later then released a statement on Instagram which ended with, ‘I am not a victim anymore’.
At first he denied the charges and eventually pleaded guilty, and he was jailed at Aylesbury Crown Court that September.
Sentenced to ten-months at Aylesbury Crown court, Kemp was out within three months and served the rest of his term on Home Detention Curfew.
Fuelled by depression and hurt, Andersson struggled to cope and admitted that she attempted suicide, began drinking after the loss and suffered with PTSD from her abusive relationship.
Andersson’s mental health and esteem was left in shreds. But she did not give up. All Andersson had to do was what she does best, turn her bad experience into a positive one to help others.
She began to use her social media and steered away from the typical Love Island influencer image portrayed online, she instead used her platform to share her experiences about trauma, domestic abuse, grief, and mental health.
And not long after, she became an ambassador for Sands, the stillbirth and neonatal death charity and a mental health advocate.
After a tough, three, pain enduring years, Malin Andersson was mentioned as one of the women of the year in the Fabulous magazine towards the end of 2020.
The popular women’s magazine honoured Andersson for her bravery and endurance throughout the years and commemorated her for being an ambassador for domestic violence charity Refuge and her hopes to begin a change in common assault legislation.
Andersson’s work alongside many other celebrities in raising awareness has been shown. Calls to the National Domestic Abuse Helpline, run by Refuge, have increased around 50% in calls during the lockdown.
On December 14, Andersson shared an image that she took of her mention in the magazine on her Instagram and captioned it: “I honestly can’t quite believe I’ve been mentioned as one of the Woman of the year with @fabulousmag as being influential and creating change.
“So surreal to be amongst all of these other inspiring, strong women – I’m truly, truly honoured. I’m going to carry on and never stop influencing in the right way. So many good things coming – blessed.”
In response, Andersson says: “I was over the moon and so honoured to be named alongside some other incredible inspirational women. It was a real reality check that what I am doing is making a difference and it has given me the drive to keep doing what I am doing.”
She found that lockdown helped her to come to terms with everything she has been through. Meditation and writing letters to her old self really helped her become the woman she is today.
As time went on, Andersson began to love herself again and know her worth and value of what she is to herself and others. She is an inspiration and not only that, but a survivor.
Looking back, now 28, Andersson says: “2020 was positive for me in many ways, work wise, in my personal life and me growing as a person and doing my own soul searching. I think 2020 helped me to really realise my future goals and gave me the time to manifest more to make those goals a reality.
“This year has helped me realise my full potential and what I am capable of. I have had some really positive changes in my life so that made 2020 a good year for me.”
Andersson continues to share her experiences on her social media and uses her platform to influence the right way.
Being a body confidence advocate, she brings smiles to her followers with her body positivity dancing posts.
“I want to empower women and give them the strength to have confidence in their own skin, this in itself makes me so happy knowing I am helping others, she says.”
