Chloe Burrows has conducted an experiment for her new documentary (Picture: Tom Barnes / Channel 4)
Chloe Burrows faked a romance with Harry Johnson to test if it would boost her earnings.
After chatting with other couples including Liam Reardon and Millie Court, as well as Cara De La Hoyde and Nathan Massey who admitted to staging arguments to make money from pap shots in the past, she decided it was time to test if she could increase her exposure and bank balance by entering into a fake relationship.
‘Now I’ve heard how it all works and the big money involved, I want to put it to the test, it’s time to launch my own showmance,’ she stated on her Channel 4 documentary, UNTOLD: Love in the Limelight.
The Love Island star’s secret mission involved working with a paparazzo to stage photos with Too Hot To Handle star Harry Johnson, who was also in on the act.
Chloe had never met Harry but they put that aside to head out on a romantic dog walk in the park. It wasn’t just their prior connection that was faked, even the dog didn’t belong to either of them! To make it seem realistic, they also took photos together at a restaurant, and emerging from a hotel.
Their plan worked with the photos appearing in publications, and across social media. It wasn’t long before clothing brands worn in the shots began to get in touch, and monetary offers for an interview came in.
Chloe faked a romance to test if it would boost her earnings (Picture: Getty)
Chloe and Harry headed out for a dog walk together despite never meeting before (Picture: Aaron Parfitt/Backgrid)
‘If I really was going to be serious, that is so easy to make money off,’ Chloe remarked.
‘You can start to see the web of finances that can go behind a reality couple.’
The fake couple then had a meeting with celebrity agent Dave Read, who manages celebrities including Joey Essex and Hannah Elizabeth, to discuss the potential next steps.
Chloe and Harry’s showmance was a success (Picture: Aaron Parfitt / SplashNews.com)
Dave thought the couple had earning potential (Picture: Aaron Parfitt / SplashNews.com)
Dave informed the pair that engagement on social media was high, they’d both increased their followers on Instagram by up to 5%, and he could see a lucrative future.
Part of their earnings could come from pap shots of them house-hunting and engagement ring shopping, and brand deals for household companies, he explained.
‘There’s no reason that between you in one year you couldn’t bank a quarter of a million pounds,’ he revealed to a shocked Chloe.
However, despite the earning potential, Chloe felt she would mentally struggle with going down that road of having more attention, and presenting something to the public that isn’t real.
Since finding fame, Chloe often checks what people say about her, and if she sees something bad then her ‘whole day is ruined’. ‘It’s like a grey cloud,’ she summarised.
Chloe and Toby made it to the Love Island final (Picture: Matt Frost/ITV/REX)
Following her breakup with Toby Aromolaran, her Love Island 2021 co-star, Chloe has tried to be more private with her love life to protect herself.
However, she does acknowledge that the year-long relationship has helped her to reach this part of her career. Chloe has a podcast called Chloe vs The World, regularly appears on radio and TV, and is often flown around the world with brands. Most recently, she was invited to Coachella with White Fox clothing.
‘I’m very aware that I went on Love Island, I was in a very public relationship that people invested in and they watched the whole journey. That contributes massively to what I’m doing now, and I’m so grateful for that but is it worth it?’ she asked.
UNTOLD: Love in the Limelight is available to stream tonight on Channel 4
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