Milly Goldsmith became a hero to millions by admitting she's never had a boyfriend at 28... now she tells MOLLY CLAYTON how, behind it all, she secretly feels 'embarrassed' and judged: 'I hate the word influencer'

‘I’m 28 and I’ve never had a boyfriend.’

It was a confession, revealed in a video, that sent influencer Milly Goldsmith’s profile into the stratosphere.

‘I hate admitting this, but I used to lie to people about past partners that never existed because I felt so ashamed – and still sometimes do,’ she admitted in the clip filmed in her apartment.

‘It’s easy to think there is something wrong with you, that you need to change or that you’re ugly, but I honestly never felt good enough for anyone.’

It is the video that has now prompted many to describe Milly as ‘the Gen-Z Bridget Jones’.

For, unlike some of her influencer peers, when it comes to baring all on social media, it doesn’t get more honest than Milly Goldsmith.

Known to her millions of followers as Milly G, the Berkshire-born influencer dedicates her platform to sharing her struggles with an eating disorder, acne and how she can’t seem to find a boyfriend.

The 28-year-old has found an ever-growing audience by saying the things many other TikTokkers wouldn’t dare to share.

And she had another confession just for me in our sit-down interview to talk about her new book, Things I Told My Notes App.

‘I’m completely addicted to my phone,’ she tells me. ‘I’m always checking who’s liked my photos.’

The only times she’s truly offline, she says, are when she’s asleep, in the shower or journalling, although even that, she laughs, usually happens on her laptop.

It somehow sums her up perfectly: self-aware, funny and utterly immersed in the digital world that has made her successful – but also fuels much of her anxiety.

‘I hate the word influencer,’ she says. ‘I find it embarrassing. I feel like people are judging me.’

It might seem a bizarre admission considering her job, by definition, is influencing.

But Milly has never seemed particularly interested in fitting the mould.

While social media has long rewarded perfection, aspirational lifestyles and polished photos, she has built an audience of nearly 600,000 people on Instagram and another 40,000 on YouTube by showing the opposite.

She cries on camera. She talks openly about loneliness, therapy, dating disasters and the pressure to look a certain way.

If her peers have spent years presenting carefully edited versions of themselves, Goldsmith’s appeal lies in making sure her audience sees the messier bits too.

‘Sometimes I wonder whether I’ll regret sharing something,’ she tells me.

‘For example, talking openly about being single, I worried people would think it was strange or that I’d make dating even harder for myself.

‘But every time I share something, I end up feeling seen and understood because other people relate to it. That’s always been my biggest motivation.

‘Growing up, social media showed me people who felt completely unattainable. Unrealistic beauty standards were everywhere, so I wanted to become someone who was simply real.’

Now, she’s taking that honesty even further.

‘It’s honestly been crazy,’ she says of releasing her first book. ‘I’m only just beginning to process everything. I was in Waterstones and Foyles looking at it in the window and I just stood there thinking, “How has it got to this point?”’

Growing up in Maidenhead, Berkshire, Milly always knew she wanted a career that looked different.

‘I’ve always been ambitious,’ she says. ‘I remember telling my sister when I was younger that I wasn’t going to have a normal office job.’

At 18, she wrote herself a list of goals. One line simply read: ‘Write a book.’

‘I had absolutely no idea how it would happen,’ she admitted.

‘I never thought of myself as a writer, but once I started I found myself completely immersed in it.’

The answer came through TikTok and Instagram, where she slowly built an audience by prioritising what she calls ‘longevity’ over chasing viral moments.

‘I didn’t want my career to just be posting photos online.’

That ambition has since stretched beyond social media. She is now the co-founder of electrolyte brand SULT, launched with Henry Porpora – a man she originally met on dating app Hinge before they decided they were better off as business partners rather than romantic ones.

But despite her success in business and content creation, writing her first book was a different ball game.

‘Posting online has always been therapeutic for me,’ she says. ‘But writing the book took that to another level. I’m trying to be really present because I don’t want life to pass me by without appreciating moments like this.’

Milly tells me she has spent the past two years in therapy and doesn’t shy away from discussing the impact social media has had on her own mental health.

One of the book’s most striking lines reads: ‘It’s funny when I think about it – my career as an influencer is based on people’s opinions of me. My entire brand is built on talking about my life online and my success is very much tied to how many people care about said life.’

It’s a remarkably self-aware observation from someone working in an industry often criticised for encouraging perfection.

I ask whether the resurgence of ultra-thin body ideals online has been difficult to navigate.

‘The return of heroin chic is worrying,’ she says. ‘But I always remind people that body ideals are trends. Trends change. Your body isn’t something you should constantly reshape to fit whatever happens to be fashionable. Our years are precious, and I don’t want to waste them chasing trends.’

It’s a message she wishes she’d heard as a teenager.

Looking back, Milly can pinpoint the exact moment social media began dictating how she saw herself. At 15, while scrolling Tumblr, she stumbled across a photo of an Australian model in a red bikini alongside a caption detailing the 1,200-calorie diet she followed.

‘The next day, I got out my calculator and tracked everything I ate,’ she says.

Love Island bombshell Mica Amor has already caught viewers’ attention – and not just because of her villa entrance. Before heading to Mallorca, the stunning singleton was linked to footballer Jobe Bellingham – the younger brother of England superstar Jude Bellingham – who has enjoyed a breakthrough year after earning a high-profile move to Borussia Dortmund. The pair are said to have dated before Jobe’s meteoric rise, with fans now digging up old social media posts and speculation surrounding their past romance. Neither have spoken publicly about the relationship, but their alleged history has already become a talking point among eagle-eyed Love Island viewers.

Lash brand UKLash has come under fire this week over its latest influencer trip, where it hosted press, creators and customers at a luxury villa in Ibiza. The backlash wasn’t about the destination or the lavish setting, but who was invited. Critics on social media have pointed to a noticeable lack of diversity across the guest list, particularly when it came to ethnicity and body size representation. For many, the trip felt out of step with the brand’s image, with fans saying it was a shame they didn’t see the diversity of the customer reflected in those in Ibiza. Influencer Georgia Jasmin was among those calling out the campaign, saying: ‘It’s atrocious. It’s so tone deaf, insulting. When are brands going to realise they need to do better?’

UP

AngryGinge (Morgan Burtwistle) earns this week’s praise after speaking out against alleged racist abuse during England’s 0-0 draw with Ghana at the Club World Cup in the US last week. The YouTuber and reigning I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! winner reported the incident he witnessed at the Boston Stadium match to stewards and publicly backed football’s zero-tolerance stance on racism, saying anyone guilty of such behaviour should never be allowed back into a stadium.

DOWN

As the ongoing Women’s World Cup captures attention, some brands are still missing the mark. Footwear retailer Schuh faced backlash after posting an Instagram meme suggesting women only watch football for Jude Bellingham and don’t understand the offside rule. The post has since been deleted. Meanwhile, football brand Pitch Queens sparked criticism with T-shirts reading: ‘Boobs out when England score.’ Women’s football content creator Taylor Harris summed up the frustration: ‘Women take football seriously too, yet it’s implied they’re only there for the boys and know nothing. It’s a really bad rhetoric.’ Brands need to stop relying on outdated stereotypes and start respecting female fans.

ITV’s Love Island: The Debrief episodes aren’t making much of a splash. The official aftershow vodcast, hosted by former Love Islanders-turned-influencer trio Shakira Khan, Yasmin Pettet and Toni Laites, is reportedly attracting around 155,000 viewers per episode. With the main series averaging roughly 600,000 viewers, ITV may be questioning whether the investment in its high-profile hosts is paying off.

Langosteria, one of Milan’s most celebrated Italian restaurants, is opening its first London outpost at the historic OWO building in Whitehall on July 1. Already a favourite in Milan, Paris and Portofino, the restaurant brings its signature Italian seafood to one of the capital’s most iconic buildings. Once the Old War Office’s official meeting venue, the space retains its grand stone fireplaces, ornate stucco ceilings and hand-painted, hand-embroidered silk wallcoverings.

Email – molly.clayton@dailymail.co.uk

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