I’m a sexy Latina who’s looking for a man – just don’t ask me to pay on the first date, says Love Island’s Cely Vazquez
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 his socks on.
After sharing her life with the public on Season 2 of Love Island USA and Season 1 of Love Island Games, she is ready to move forward in another direction just in time for Valentine's Day.
"It'll always be the greatest experience I've 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 on both seasons with her "platonic soulmates," aka her castmates.
"I know it's definitely different for everyone, but I will say all the girls [on my season] went in there as hopeless romantics," Cely said.
"I wasn't trying to put a lot of expectation on it. It was such a nice surprise to me," she said of meeting Love Island ex Johnny Middlebrooks.
"I did fall in love and it was so cool. It was such a special experience all the way around."
Cely and Johnny placed as runners-up on 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.
The Mexican-American thinks it's so important to meet someone who understands her background and who she can be her "full Latina self" with.
"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 don't think you really notice until you're actively dating someone who understands the banter, the music, and everything that I was brought up with as a kid," she explained.
On the show, she referred to herself as a "spicy Latina" and fully owns the title both off and on the small screen.
"There's such a fun magnetism about us. I just love a good Latina woman, and it's just being able to bring the language and that sexiness," she added.
"It's part of my rizz, I would say. I always lean into it because if you're gonna fall in love with me, you're gonna fall in love with all of me."
She said the top dating criteria she's looking for is a family-oriented man.
"Someone who can just love being around my family is a huge one because we're always spending time together.
"I need you to be on top of it, and I need you to tell my mom that you love her cooking," she added.
In addition, he "genuinely" has to find her funny because she thinks she's the "funniest person in the world."
"I need you to belly laugh at my jokes. I can't have you shutting down when I'm trying to be funny," she said.
That means that when it comes to dating, Cely won't tolerate just any type of bad behavior. She has her boundaries up and her standards high.
There is a certain point where you are just kind of like, 'Okay, why is every conversation that we're having about the fact that I was on TV?' I'm so much more than that."
Cely Vazquez
"This was pre-Love Island, but I went on a date with a guy and while we were on the date, he saw somebody that he went to high school with," she said.
"I could tell there was a spark between them.
"Later on, I lost him at the party, and when I went to go find him and look for him he was kissing her. I just saw my way out."
The notable personality admitted that it is harder to date when you have a large online following.
"There is a certain point where you are just like, 'Okay, why is every conversation that we're having about the fact that I was on TV?' I'm so much more than that," she said.
Thankfully, while navigating the apps she has been lucky to have met people who genuinely want to know about her, as opposed to what they saw on television.
Cely shared that she has a fun karaoke date coming up with a guy from an app, so keep your eyes peeled on her social media.
"If you see a microphone, you know I'm on my date," she joked.
Cely is also currently working on an "amazing" music project that also brings out her Latina side with songs entirely in Spanish - and also in Spanglish.
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"It's been the most amazing thing to change the trajectory of my career and who knows what's in the future," she said.
“I will always be so grateful for everything that Love Island brought to me whether it was experience and being on the show, and then even what it's given me outside of the show, my platform."