Inside Molly-Mae’s Kremlin-style comeback: There was nothing ‘real’ about what I saw and PR heavies were everywhere. Then we asked if Tommy Fury split was stunt… and her answer says it all, writes GRANT TUCKER

As press conferences are called, it was more suited to the corridors of the Kremlin. But the tightly controlled media management I witnessed yesterday was not for an all-powerful dictator like Vladimir Putin.

No, it was for a much more unlikely figure: Love Island’s 2019 runner-up, influencer Molly-Mae Haag.

The 25-year-old is the star of a new ‘tell-all’ reality show for Amazon Prime, which promises to ‘take viewers beyond the headlines to the Real Molly-Mae, which follows her journey after her much-publicized breakup.

But there was nothing “real” about yesterday’s procedure.

To avoid difficult or uncomfortable topics – namely her split from fiancé Tommy Fury, 25 – journalists were no doubt told to submit questions for Molly-Mae days in advance.

Presumably they were then vetted by a committee to make sure we got Molly-Mae at her most authentic – or not, as turned out to be the case.

Arriving at the five-star hotel The Londoner on Leicester Square, I was reminded that filming and photography of any kind during the Q&A was ‘strictly prohibited’.

It’s clear the social media princess didn’t want her eight million Instagram followers to see photos that weren’t pre-approved.

After receiving my gold wristband, I descended into the bowels of the luxury hotel where I was met by a friendly PR from no-nonsense agency Freuds. And then another. And one more. There was a bevy of cops to escort me to the Molly-Mae-appropriate juice buffet, which served a mixture of green coconut water, spinach and kale, or a brown coconut yogurt with acai berries, pomegranate, toasted sesame seeds and blueberries, served in miniature tankards .

As I tucked into some buttermilk scones with strawberry jam and whipped cream, I walked around the room to see that my fellow journalists had all been given their own Molly-Mae PR chaperone as well. A rather heavy-handed relationship.

We numbered about twenty people – the chosen ones – and were soon led to our seats with the solemnity of a state funeral. The star of the show, we were told, would be speaking publicly for the first time since “The Split.”

For those unaware of the Molly-Mae Hague saga, the Hertfordshire-born teenager became the most successful contestant to ever appear on ITV’s Love Island, coming in second to the ‘love of her life’ Mancunian boxer – and brother of world heavyweight Tyson – Tommy Fury.

As they left the villa and were snapped up for a host of lucrative brand collaborations, the couple reveled in their wealth: Molly-Mae bought a £4million mansion in Manchester.

They also started a family and welcomed daughter Bambi in 2023.

But last year, five years after their romance first began – and just three weeks after she marked their one-year engagement anniversary with a sweet Instagram post – fans were left devastated when the Love Island icons suddenly announced it was all over .

Molly-Mae wrote: ‘I am extremely upset to announce that my and Tommy’s relationship has ended. I will forever be grateful for the most important thing to me, now and always: my beautiful daughter. Without us there would be no hair, she will always be my priority.’

Distraught fans went into overdrive online as they speculated about what could have ended their fairytale love story, comparing it to the split between Prince Charles and Princess Diana.

Although Fury vehemently denied cheating on his fiancée, he has admitted that his drinking problem played a role in their downfall.

But the split has not been bitter. The former couple have been photographed together so many times since then that some are now wondering if it was all just a publicity stunt.

Speculation has reached a fever pitch in recent weeks when the pair were filmed kissing at midnight at a New Year’s Eve party.

Molly-Mae has suggested their reunion could be shown in the six-part documentary, insisting it is all ‘real’.

So now it was finally time for Molly-Mae to tell her version of events.

When the clock struck twelve during the Q&A, there was still no sign of the influencer, leaving me to admire the Molly-Mae-themed decor. Cream curtains covered the wall and there were two huge displays of white roses, all reflected in the mirrored ceiling, giving the room the feel of a 1970s disco and local crematorium.

Five minutes later, a hush fell over the room as Molly-Mae – flanked by bodyguards with blonde, blow-dried hair out of place – finally graced us with her presence.

The reality star, dressed in a pinstriped jacket and black pants, hurriedly took her seat as not one but two camera crews emerged: one to film for the Amazon series, another with an iPhone for her two million YouTube followers. I’m now officially part of the Molly-Mae reality circus.

Frost for Molly-Mae’s Nixon is Demi Doyle, the executive producer of the Amazon series who would conduct the interrogation – sorry ‘press Q&A’.

I brace myself for a blinding blast of a first question.

“Why do you think you decided to do that?” she asks Molly-Mae.

Hmmm. Maybe she was rocking her to sleep so she would get comfortable before surprising her with a zinger. But the boring questions continued.

“What do you think people should expect from the series?”

“Do you feel nervous going out like this?”

“Do you think there’s anything that will scare anyone?”

Molly-Mae, as poised and well-rehearsed as anyone I’ve ever seen at The National Theatre, told us that the new series, for which she is said to have been paid millions, will ‘let people in, in a way that I have done’ . t before’. That’s surprising from a vlogger who has put every facet of her young life online since she was a teenager.

All of Molly-Mae’s answers were the same, with her repeatedly saying how “honest” she was.

I’ll have to take her word for it, because of course, due to the highly confidential nature of the show, we weren’t allowed to watch the series before sitting down with the star. She assured us again that she has been “very, very open,” “very, very honest” and is a “girl who wears her heart on her sleeve.”

Could this series be the biggest confessional since Bill Clinton confirmed his relationship with Monica Lewinsky?

Fear not: it’s not all heartbreak and introspection.

The former Love Islander did talk about the hilarious scenes we can look forward to.

‘I think the things you film candidly and the things you don’t expect to be filmed that day are always the best parts of the documentary and the funniest bits are the bits you don’t plan. for,” Molly-Mae told us.

‘I’m talking through my wardrobe and thinking, “oh yeah, I just got these outfits”. And then I noticed on the bottom of these cream pants that there was just a crushed avocado on the bottom of the pants because they weren’t washed properly!’

She also enthusiastically tells the interviewer that her cats Eggy and Bread have peed on her carpet.

A grim reminder that humor is indeed subjective.

Ever a savvy businesswoman, her new fashion brand Maebe also received a dozen mentions, and, as she emphasized, this is her priority for the coming year.

“And of course my daughter,” she added hastily.

When she was Finally When asked about the split and whether it was a publicity stunt, she goes full Meghan Markle, takes a deep breath and flutters her eyelashes.

“I wish it was a publicity stunt,” she said, her eyes wide. “Because it would have been a lot easier.”

But what about that New Year’s kiss?

“We are navigating a very complicated time in our lives, in front of the public,” she said. ‘The last thing I want is any confusion. I don’t want people to feel confused by the things that are going on.”

Absolutely no confusion there.

Now that that’s settled, the 25-minute charade is almost over, but not before she tells us that fans have been inundating her with messages saying they’ve booked the day off so they can binge-watch the first three episodes when they come out tomorrow.

“It should be given as a holiday, I love it!” she said enthusiastically. “That would be iconic.”

I can’t help but feel a pang of sympathy for Rachel Reeves as she struggles with Britain’s productivity crisis.

Before I’m released, we journalists are put in a single file queue to get what she thought we all came for.

Not the truth behind Gen Z’s Prince Charles and Diana split. But a selfie with the queen of self.