By Alison Gallagher-Hughes
Paws by my side
Faye Winter first came into the spotlight as a contestant in the 2021 series of ‘Love Island’. She has since appeared on ‘Celebrity MasterChef’ and etched out a career in the media with a 1.2m following on Instagram. The former estate agent, who lives in Devon, has been a fosterer for Guide Dogs for the Blind and is now the charity’s ‘campaign star.’ Faye is the owner of a one-year-old Golden Retriever called Bonnie.
When Faye hooked up for our online interview, only her name appeared on screen. After a bit of persuasion, she turned on her camera: “I look like crap,” she claimed, revealing that her ‘glam team’ was en route for a photoshoot later that day. The person who appeared may not have been the ‘red carpet’ version regularly featured in the glossies, but fresh-faced she is naturally pretty and effervescent — her passion for dogs evident. “What an honour. I love Your Dog Magazine,” she said.
Q Have you always had dogs in your life?
“I was brought up with two Golden Retrievers. When they passed, we had a Newfoundland but he turned out to have heart problems and we lost him when he was four. My mum and dad are crazy dog people; they’ve now got five Golden Retrievers and definitely prefer them to the kids. I grew up knowing that and I love dogs just as much.”
Q Tell us about your work with Guide Dogs for the Blind.
“About five or six years before I went on ‘Love Island’, I became a volunteer for Guide Dogs. I was a full-time fosterer, providing evening and weekend care to dogs in training. I wanted my own dog but I was working full-time, so I decided to volunteer, which I absolutely adored. I had six beautiful dogs and five went on to become incredible guide dogs and I’m very proud of that. When I left ‘Love Island’, I found I had this whole new following, so I went back to Guide Dogs and became their ‘campaign star’. I’ve just donated a sum of money and been able to name my own guide dog Winter. He is with his puppy raiser at the moment and is absolutely gorgeous. All the work I do with them is voluntary and I’m just super proud of that.”
Q And now you have your own dog too. “Bonnie is now a year old. She’s a working retriever. She came from an incredible breeder and she is everything I wanted and more. I feel very lucky.
“I considered adopting a rescue but felt that because of my lifestyle, I needed a younger dog who could acclimatise more easily. For example, Bonnie’s first e
