MALIN Andersson says she felt “embarrassed” announcing her split from her ex-boyfriend two months after going official.

The Love Island series two star, who now uses her platform to promote wellness, separated from Jim Sundgren in November and faced questions from fans keen to know what happened.

Woman with short hair wearing a dark gray sports bra.
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Malin Andersson has opened up about her split from Jim SundgrenCredit: Instagram

Malin Andersson and a man at the gym.
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Malin said she thought he was ‘The One’Credit: Instagram
It was Malin’s first proper relationship since she split from ex Jared, who is dad to her daughter Xaya, three, in 2022.

Malin, 32, had purposely scaled back on personal posts following the split, which made the quick end to her romance with Jim that much harder to deal with.

In an exclusive interview with The Sun, Makin, who is supporting the NHS‘ ‘New Year Quit Smoking’ campaign, said: “It’s embarrassing, man, because like my relationship’s just failed. And then once I post, I’m like, oh sh*t, they’re gonna wonder why that person’s disappeared. And then you get the messages creeping in and I’m like, ‘oh, for goodness sake’.

“But what it is, I was single since Xaya’s dad. And so I really thought he was like ‘The One’, but no.

“And so I did post him because I was in that moment and then he turned out to be not be who I thought he was.

“So, I felt embarrassed. They follow my journey, don’t they? And it’s a strange one. When I meet people out, they think they know me, but they don’t.”

Explaining why she’s changed her approach to social media, Malin continued: “I used to post a lot about my life, my personal stuff, now I have a daughter to think about, I do less personal stuff and more about what I can do to help change, like change the world.

“How can I change people into healing? How can I help people? How can I create some sort of change in a positive way instead of people looking at what sofa I’ve got in my living room?

“The narrative has changed in me completely. If I’m posting things of materialistic stuff and relationships, I’m basically showing people things that they might not have. Why would I want to do that?

“Whereas when I’m posting about deep stuff and things that people can benefit from, it’s a lot better.

“I used to care about what everyone else thought and I don’t anymore.”

One of the ways she’s helping people now is by backing an NHS campaign encouraging people to quit smoking.

Previously a heavy smoker herself after getting hooked as an 18-year-old, Malin ditched the cigs for good in 2022 following Xaya’s birth.

 

 

At her peak, she smoked 15 cigarettes and they were always a crutch when difficult life situations arose.

Revealing how she quit, she said: “I went cold turkey, to be honest. With me, it was a hard one because I had Xaya [daughter], she was a newborn, her dad left and then I was like stressed.

“I remember picking up one, went outside, had one and I was like, ‘oh, I hate the smell of it. I can’t be doing this’. Like, it’s gross.”

Malin’s penchant for cigs grew while she worked as a flight attendant for Emirates in her early twenties due to the cheap cost in Dubai where the airline is based.

The former Islander also used them to suppress her appetite in a bid to be skinny like supermodel Kate Moss.

Woman in grey sweatshirt and blue star leggings.
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Malin is backing an NHS anti-smoking campaignCredit: instagram/@MissMalinSara/

Malin Andersson on Love Island, admitting attraction to Terry Walsh.
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The wellness influencer found fame on series two of Love IslandCredit: Rex Features
When she came out of the villa, Malin said her diet consisted of cigs, cans of Red Bull and coffee – a combination she calls “disgusting”.

She said: “I just wanted to be thin, you know? And that was that whole thing. I remember back when I was a kid, I think Kate Moss smoking, you know? And that was a huge part of it too. It went hand in hand with all of my self-image traumas.”

Malin’s biggest piece of advice for anyone considering quitting is to contact the NHS.

 

She said: “It’s there, it’s free to use. We go there when we’ve got tonsillitis, or we’ve fallen sick, right? But when there’s something that you’re battling with every day, and you know you want to quit, they’re there to help you.

TV Personality and former smoker, Malin Andersson is supporting the new NHS ‘New Year Quit Smoking’ campaign that is looking to encourage people to quit smoking this January. For help and support download the free NHS Quit Smoking App today.