Love Island All Stars series 2 contestant Kaz Crossley has made a bold entrance since the show came back, as she has given her look a complete revamp since the last time she appeared on the show. But her look isn’t the only thing that has changed, as the 29-year-old has been through a lot since we last saw her on the ITV series.
Kaz first appeared on Love Island series four in 2018 and made a lasting impression after joining the show during Casa Amor. She ended up coupling up with Josh Denzel, leaving his former partner Georgia Steel devastated, and although the couple remained together on the show and continued to date on the outside world – it wasn’t meant to be.
But now she is back and looking happier than ever, with a brand new look, and energy as well. For the latest TV & Showbiz news, sign up to our newsletter
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Getting arrested in Dubai
Kaz was arrested and held in a Dubai prison just after a video of her snorting a white substance started being shared all around the internet. She explained in a clip she shared to Instagram in February, 2023: “In 2020, I was in Dubai and I was filmed – it was me in the video, no one forced me to do that – it was a time in my life where I definitely didn’t love myself at all probably and this is reflected in what I was doing to my body and who I surrounded myself with.
“A year later, it then got leaked and then more recently, I was on my way to Thailand and had an amazing job offer. I was then detained in Abu Dhabi and kept in custody from Monday through to Friday which is when they released me.
“I was very accepting of the situation for whatever was going to happen to me. I take full accountability, I did not lie and I said that was me in the video and I explained the situation, it was a long time ago etc.”
Mental health journey and living with alopecia
Kaz has hinted that stress is the main trigger for her alopecia, though it can also be influenced by injuries, illness and environmental factors. She told fans in 2023 that she gets very emotional after seeing photos of herself being affected by the condition.
She said: “I became consumed with sadness every time I looked in the mirror and made it worse in my head… Even if my mental health is in a better place now, no one talks about how hard it is to navigate feeling ‘better’, the PTSD and feeling of anxiety thinking that something bad will happen.
“It’s a s*** feeling not feeling like the person you were before. It’s also s*** being aware you don’t ever want to feel like that again and everything you do is consumed by trying to stay happy and positive.
“It may get worse before it gets better. Alopecia is so unpredictable you can’t even keep track, don’t stress yourself measuring your patch everyday. As soon as I stopped measuring and taking pictures I felt a lot lighter in my healing process.”
The reason behind her new look
Kaz attending a dinner at Langham Hotel, London after leaving the show in 2018 -Credit:2018 Ricky Vigil M
Kaz has chopped off her hair for one poignant reason connected to a traumatic event in the past -Credit:ITV/REX/Shutterstock
Viewers who watched the series 2 may notice straight away how different Kaz looks as she has changed up her hair to sport a blonde pixie cut, which is quite different from the last time we saw her on Love Island when she had long chestnut locks which she often styled in lots of up-dos and trendy buns.
But what made her decide to go for a chop? Kaz shared with her Instagram followers that she went through a series of traumatic events, which led her to making the decision to give something back and help others.
She wrote: “As you may know I went through a series of traumatic events that resulted in me developing alopecia areata, a disease where the immune system attacks hair follicles leading to hair loss,” the caption read. “Through talking about this and sharing my experience, I came across a charity in the UK called @littleladylocks.”
“Yesterday I decided to cut all my hair off- to create a wig for a little girl who needs it. I’m determined to spread awareness of this beautiful charity and hope you all see my dedication to this cause. But it is not as simple as cutting off my hair. It costs the charity £500 to pay the wig makers to turn my hair into a wig. That’s why this charity desperately needs our help.”