She’s hoping to find love, and with it the possibility of wider recognition beyond her West End roots when she enters the Love Island villa on Sunday evening.
But Dream Girls chorus girl Samira Mighty has already had a taste of the high life after a fleeting romance with Hollywood star Chris Pine.
The 22-year old, one of five girls hoping to find the man of their dreams on the returning hit show, admits she was wined and dined by the handsome 37-year-old American star after a chance meeting at an awards show in 2016.
Wow: Samira Mighty revealed Chris Pine still BEGS her for a date two years after she was wined and dined by the Hollywood star
Speaking to MailOnline, Samira admits she was immediately struck by Pine, who was in London to pick up an award, after recognising him from children’s fantasy drama Just My Luck.
‘It was just a simple date,’ she recalled. ‘I went to the GQ Man of the Year after party and I thought I recognised this guy. I knew him from Disney Channel. I thought “My God he was in that movie with Lindsay Lohan,” and he kind of moved to me and I thought, “He seems fun.”
‘I kind of looked him up and thought, “He’s actually a pretty big deal.” He was like, “Take my number.” I was super super-drunk so I couldn’t even be bothered to entertain it, but he’d just won Man of the Year, so I was like “be drunk.”’
Dreamy! The 22-year old admits she was wined and dined by the handsome American star after a chance meeting at an awards show in 2016
Despite her scepticism, Samira admits she was stunned when the actor texted her back the following day with a request to meet at his central London hotel.
‘I’d just broken up with my boyfriend as well so I was like f**k it, I’m gonna go on a date with Chris Pine,’ she said. ‘We went to Soho Hotel, where he stays, and it was super nice, but all his directors were there, which was really strange.’
But while many girls would have happily traded places with the singer and dancer, she admits it was too soon for anything physical and they parted ways – although the actor still asks her out whenever he’s in town.
Looking for love! She’s hoping to find love, and with it the possibility of wider recognition beyond her West End roots when she enters the Love Island villa on Sunday evening
‘I’d literally broken up with my boyfriend the week before so I started to get a bit sad, it was too much,’ she said. ‘I was too heartbroken and I couldn’t deal with it. He’s an older man and I was newly single. I just thought “this is fun and I now know Chris Pine.”
‘But it was really cool. We text now and then because obviously he lives in LA. Sometimes he’s like “I’m in London,” but I’m always too busy and I don’t know him well enough to say “let’s go to Westfield!” But he texts me now and then, just to let me know he’s there.’
For now the West End performer, who has also appeared in Mama Mia!, is on the lookout for love during a potential eight week stay in the remote Majorcan villa, where she hopes to find someone unconnected to the entertainment industry.
Stuff of dreams: Despite her scepticism, Samira admits she was stunned when the actor texted her back the following day with a request to meet at his central London hotel
‘I’ve done musical theatre for a long time now and I really want to move away from that,’ she said. ‘I don’t like meeting the guys in my industry as well because everyone knows everyone, so if you’ve kissed a guy, then that girl has kissed the guy.
‘It’s just too small, so going into the villa it will be interesting to meet someone outside of my industry and move onto something completely different, because I feel like I can do a lot of things. I don’t want to stick to one thing, so it’s going to be a great platform, and to meet someone hopefully.’
For now, Samira will be one of three black contestants when the show finally launches on Monday, and she admits to being pleased that there is a broader ethnic mix after social media reaction to an apparent lack of diversity in 2017.
Too soon: But while many girls would have happily traded places with the singer and dancer, she admits it was too soon for anything physical and they parted ways
‘I’m super happy,’ she admits. ‘When I told my sister she was like “this is great, there’s actually a black girl on the show. People will actually appreciate it.” Diversity is great in any case, so I’m happy I’m here, if that makes sense, to represent.
She added: ‘I don’t know what the other people are like, if they’re black white or Indian, so it’s gonna be interesting when I walk in. But I think it’s great that there’s diversity. Viewers will feel more relatable, they’ll be like “I could do that next year now I know they’re doing that.”
Love Island launches on Monday, June 4 on ITV2.
Hot date! Despite their romance never fully blossoming, the actor still asks her out whenever he’s in town