I'm a beautiful Latina looking for love, but I would never pay on the first date
SHE had two shots on Love Island, but this self-confessed 'spicy Latina' is still looking for Mr. Right.
Love Island USA's Cely Vazquez is officially back on the dating apps – and says she won't tolerate being asked to split the bill or watch a man put on his socks.
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The 27 year old is ready to find real love and step out of her comfort zone, out of the privacy of her own home.
After sharing her life with audiences on season two of Love Island USA and season one of Love Island Games, she's ready to take a different direction just in time for Valentine's Day.
“It will always be the best experience I ever had. It was so cool. I never in my life thought that my career would take me into the reality TV world,” she said in an exclusive interview.
The star gushed about the connection she made with her “platonic soulmates,” aka her castmates, in both seasons.
“I know it's different for everyone, but I will say all the girls (on my season) went in there as hopeless romantics,” Cely said.
“I tried not to put a lot of expectations on it. It was such a nice surprise for me,” she said of meeting Love Island ex Johnny Middlebrooks.
“I fell in love and it was so cool. It was such a special experience.”
Cely and Johnny came second in the popular reality show, filmed in August 2020.
They left as a couple, but announced their split in January 2021.
During an episode of Love Island Games, Cely revealed that she and Johnny broke up because he wouldn't pay for her nachos at The Cheesecake Factory.
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In our conversation she explained that she likes to be 'wooed' and while she would happily pay for dates and treat her husband, it depends on the circumstances.
“Don't ask me to split the bill on the first date,” she said.
Apart from the qualities that belong to 'basic human decency', such as not being rude to the waiter, trust and honesty, Cely cannot stand it when a man pulls his socks up for her.
“Don't let me catch you putting on socks because I just hate to see that. If you're going to put on socks, go into the other room,” she joked.
Another dating ick for Cely is the growth of modern hook-up culture.
“I just want to find someone who is all about me. I don't have to share anything,” she said.
Hot is my type.”
Cely Vazquez
Cely thought Love Island would be a once in a lifetime opportunity so was thrilled when she got a second chance at it.
Love Island Games was “spicier,” she explained, because not only did they throw her ex into the mix, rehashing some old drama, but they also added challenges.
“This is going to sound weird, but how cool that I was able to make things right with my ex. I would say it wasn't even as hard as I thought it would be,” she said.
“I could just keep pushing. He could keep pushing.”
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That wasn't the only spark she lit during the series.
“I feel like if you were to list my entire dating history, you'd be like, 'Girl, what's your type?' “I really say hot is my type,” she said.
Cely and British star Toby Aromolaran had a rocky relationship during Love Island Games, and were rumored to be linked after leaving the season.
Semi-pro footballer Toby, who won Love Island UK in 2021, will now get a third chance to find love publicly on Love Island: All-Stars, currently airing in Britain.
When asked what's going on between the two, Cely said they are “just friends” with a lot of love for each other, and she wished him the best.
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Cely said her “ultimate goal is to find a lifelong partner,” but she isn't putting too much pressure on herself at the moment.
“I went to Chispa and it was so much fun. I just had a great time, I met so many people. I made so many friends and I chatted with some cute crushes,” she said.
Chispa is a Latin dating app where Latino and Latina singles can meet nearby matches.
The Mexican-American finds it so important to meet someone who understands her background and with whom she can be her “full Latina self.”
“If you're going to fall in love with me, you're going to fall in love with all of me.”
Cely Vazquez
“It's a whole different aspect that I think you only really notice when you're actively dating someone who understands the jokes, the music and everything that I was raised with as a child,” she explained.
On the show, she referred to herself as a “feisty Latina” and fully owns the title, both off and on the small screen.
“There's such a fun appeal about us. I just love a good Latina woman, and then it's just being able to convey the language and that sexiness,” she added.
'It's part of my life, I would say. I always lean into it because if you're going to fall in love with me, you're going to fall in love with all of me.”
She said the main dating criteria she looks for is a family-oriented man.
“Someone who loves being with my family is a big one because we always spend time together.
“I want you to be on top of it, and I want you to tell my mom that you love her cooking,” she added.
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Plus, he must find her “really” funny because she thinks she's the “funniest person in the world.”
'You have to laugh at my jokes. I can't have you shutting up when I'm trying to be funny,” she said.
That means that when it comes to dating, Cely won't tolerate just any kind of bad behavior. She has her boundaries high and her standards high.
There's a certain point where you think, “Okay, why is every conversation we have about the fact that I was on TV?” I am so much more than that.”
Cely Vazquez
“This was before Love Island, but I was on a date with a guy and while we were on a date he saw someone he went to high school with,” she said.
“I could tell there was a spark between them.
“Later I lost him at the party, and when I went looking and looking for him, he kissed her. I just saw a way out.”
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The notable personality admitted that it is harder to date when you have a large online following.
“There's a certain point where you think, 'Okay, why is every conversation we have about the fact that I was on TV?' I am so much more than that,” she said.
Fortunately, while navigating the apps, she has been fortunate enough to meet people who genuinely want to know more about her, unlike what they saw on television.
Cely said she has a fun karaoke date with a guy from an app, so keep an eye on her social media.
“When you see a microphone, you know I'm on my date,” she joked.
Cely is also currently working on an “amazing” project that also brings out her Latina side with music entirely in Spanish and also in Spanglish.
“It's been the most amazing thing to change the trajectory of my career and who knows what happens in the future,” she said.
“I will always be so grateful for everything Love Island has given me, whether it was experience and being on the show, and even what it has given me outside of the show, my platform.”
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