Mal Nicol

{{Short description|Scottish television personality (born 1997)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}

{{Use British English|date=January 2024}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Mal Nicol

| birth_name = Malissa Nicol

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1997|10|09|df=y}}

| birth_place = Edinburgh, Scotland

| occupation = Television personality

| television = Love Island

}}

Malissa Nicol (born 9 September 1997) is a Scottish television personality. She rose to prominence when she was cast on the tenth series of the ITV2 dating series Love Island.

Life and career

Malissa Nicol was born on 9 September 1997 in Edinburgh.{{cite news |last1=Soen |first1=Hayley |title=Say hello to Mal, the vibey Love Island bombshell who already has an Islander ex |url=https://thetab.com/uk/2023/06/21/mal-nicol-love-island-2023-bombshell-islander-ex-boyfriend-313693 |access-date=17 January 2024 |work=The Tab |archive-date=30 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230630053134/https://thetab.com/uk/2023/06/21/mal-nicol-love-island-2023-bombshell-islander-ex-boyfriend-313693 |url-status=live }} She is of Scottish and Thai descent.{{cite news |title=Mal from Love Island's ethnicity hails from two countries thousands of miles apart |url=https://www.realitytitbit.com/dating/love-island/mal-from-love-islands-ethnicity-hails-from-two-countries-thousands-of-miles-apart |access-date=17 January 2024 |work=Reality Titbit |archive-date=3 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230703153438/https://www.realitytitbit.com/dating/love-island/mal-from-love-islands-ethnicity-hails-from-two-countries-thousands-of-miles-apart |url-status=live }} Nicol was in a brief relationship with 2022 Love Island contestant and fellow Edinburgh resident Jay Younger.{{cite news |title=Love Island's Jay Younger 'Promised His Ex-Girlfriend A Serious Future' |url=https://graziadaily.co.uk/celebrity/news/love-island-jay-younger-ex-girlfriends-expose-cheating/ |access-date=17 January 2024 |work=Grazia |archive-date=22 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230622004854/https://graziadaily.co.uk/celebrity/news/love-island-jay-younger-ex-girlfriends-expose-cheating/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Jones |first1=Amy |title=Inside Love Island bombshell Mal Nicol's romance with ex Islander Jay Younger |url=https://www.ok.co.uk/lifestyle/love-island-mal-nicol-jay-30289296 |access-date=17 January 2024 |work=OK! |archive-date=2 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231002001420/https://www.ok.co.uk/lifestyle/love-island-mal-nicol-jay-30289296 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Sewell |first1=Chelsie |title=Love Island 2023: Edinburgh bombshell Mal Nicol to enter villa after 'dating' former contestant Jay Younger |url=https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/lifestyle/love-island-2023-edinburgh-bombshell-mal-nicol-to-enter-villa-after-dating-former-contestant-jay-younger-4191370 |access-date=17 January 2024 |work=Edinburgh News |archive-date=6 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230706135850/https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/lifestyle/love-island-2023-edinburgh-bombshell-mal-nicol-to-enter-villa-after-dating-former-contestant-jay-younger-4191370 |url-status=live }} After relocating to London, Nicol began working as a picture researcher, with her credits including the BBC property series Homes Under the Hammer.{{cite news |last1=Cockerham |first1=Sophie |title=Who is Mal Nicol? Meet Love Island 2023 contestant and bombshell |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/entertainment/reality-tv/love-island-2023-contestant-mal-nicol/ |access-date=17 January 2024 |work=Radio Times |archive-date=25 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230625191423/https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/entertainment/reality-tv/love-island-2023-contestant-mal-nicol/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Adams |first1=Zoe |title=Love Island bombshell Mal Nicol: Age, job and famous ex-boyfriend |url=https://www.heart.co.uk/showbiz/tv-movies/love-island-mal-nicol-name-age-job-famous-ex-boyfriend/ |access-date=17 January 2024 |work=Heart |archive-date=28 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230628154154/https://www.heart.co.uk/showbiz/tv-movies/love-island-mal-nicol-name-age-job-famous-ex-boyfriend/ |url-status=live }} She also worked for Bauer Media Group, for Heat and Closer magazine up until her casting on Love Island. She did not tell her colleagues that she had been cast, and when she left the workplace, they guessed that she would appear on Love Island.{{cite news |last1=Vierke |first1= Emily |title=Love Island 2023 bombshell 'revealed' and she worked at HEAT magazine |url=https://heatworld.com/entertainment/love-island/mal-nicol/ |access-date=17 January 2024 |work=Heat}}

In 2023, it was announced that Nicol had been cast on the tenth series of the ITV2 dating series Love Island.{{cite news |last1=Nesbit |first1=Megan |title=Who is Mal Nicol on Love Island 2023? New bombshell's age, career and Instagram |url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/lifestyle/tv/who-mal-nicol-love-island-27170017 |access-date=17 January 2024 |work=Wales Online |archive-date=28 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230628220347/https://www.walesonline.co.uk/lifestyle/tv/who-mal-nicol-love-island-27170017 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Mensah |first1=Katelyn |title=Chaotic nights out and ski trips: Inside Mal's boujee life before Love Island 2023 |url=https://thetab.com/uk/2023/06/28/mal-nicol-love-island-2023-instagram-314700 |access-date=17 January 2024 |work=The Tab |archive-date=3 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230703073623/https://thetab.com/uk/2023/06/28/mal-nicol-love-island-2023-instagram-314700 |url-status=live }} She entered as a "bombshell" on day 16 of the series.{{cite news |title=Love Island 2023 bombshell revealed and she's GORG |url=https://closeronline.co.uk/entertainment/love-island/mal-nicol/ |access-date=17 January 2024 |work=Closer |archive-date=21 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230621203426/https://closeronline.co.uk/entertainment/love-island/mal-nicol/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |title=Love Island's Sammy made savage unaired dig at Jess before reunion, dumped star claims |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/love-islands-sammy-made-savage-30450536 |access-date=17 January 2024 |work=Daily Mirror |quote=Mal Nicol, 25, entered the Spanish villa on day 16 as a bombshell |archive-date=7 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231107185013/https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/love-islands-sammy-made-savage-30450536 |url-status=live }} During her time on the series, Nicol participated in the annual "heart rate challenge", in which she danced to "Greedy" by Ariana Grande.{{cite news |last1=Vierke |first1=Emily |title=Dumped Love Island stars expose heart rate challenge scenes that were BANNED |url=https://heatworld.com/entertainment/love-island/heart-race-challenge-banned-scenes/ |access-date=17 January 2024 |work=Heat}}{{cite news |last1=Flaherty |first1=Jess |title=Love Island's Mal Nicol posts hilarious reaction video to raunchy challenges |url=https://www.ok.co.uk/tv/love-islands-mal-nicol-posts-30346723 |access-date=17 January 2024 |work=OK! |archive-date=20 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230920194122/https://www.ok.co.uk/tv/love-islands-mal-nicol-posts-30346723 |url-status=live }} Her dance went viral on social media due to her awkwardness, with Grazia calling it "relatable yet cringey".{{cite news |last1=Roberts |first1=Charlotte |title=Love Island's Mal Nicol Gave The Most Relatable Reaction To Her Heart Rate Challenge |url=https://graziadaily.co.uk/life/tv-and-film/mal-nico-relatable-reaction-heart-rate-challenge/ |access-date=17 January 2024 |archive-date=1 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230801134008/https://graziadaily.co.uk/life/tv-and-film/mal-nico-relatable-reaction-heart-rate-challenge/ |url-status=live }} Nicol was voted out of the series on day 23, with viewers of the show missing her following her exit.{{cite news |last1=Macdonald |first1=Siobhan |title=Love Island airs brutal dumping as Scots star Mal Nicol and Mehdi Edno ditched |url=https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/entertainment/celebrity/love-island-airs-brutal-dumping-30338020 |access-date=17 January 2024 |work=Daily Record |archive-date=30 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230630123743/https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/entertainment/celebrity/love-island-airs-brutal-dumping-30338020 |url-status=live }}

Filmography

class="wikitable"

! Year

! Title

! Notes

! {{Abbr|Ref.|Reference}}

2022

| Homes Under the Hammer

| Researcher

| 2 episodes

2023

| Love Island

| Herself

| Contestant

2023

| Love Island: The Morning After

| Herself

| Guest

References

{{Reflist}}