Montana Brown had a run of romantic mishaps during her time on ITV’s Love Island earlier this summer. However, during an appearance at Stylist Live on Sunday 12 November, Brown said that none of these were her worst dating experience.

Instead, that dubious honour goes to the time she was catfished when she was 20 years old.

“I’ve been catfished,” said Brown. “That was my last Tinder date. I drove all the way to Windsor for a date with this guy who was so hot – or, I thought he was. I turned up and he was like, ‘Yeah, my picture’s actually my brother’.”

“It was ridiculous,” Brown continued. “He was like, ‘I know it sounds really seedy’. I was like, ‘Yes, it does.”

The man had used a fake name on his Tinder profile. He had also claimed to be 24, but was actually 32. 

“We were chatting for like a month [before the date],” said Brown. “I’d invested a month of my time in a catfish.”

Brown said that this was the last time she used a dating app.

“I was mortified and I’ve never been back,” she said. 

However, she said that while she no longer uses dating apps, she still thinks they can be a positive force in some people’s lives.

“I actually think for older people dating apps work quite well,” said Brown. “My uncle was widowed and he went on eHarmony, and he’s now remarried. So there is a silver lining, and there are some really good dating apps that are really beneficial if you want to find a long term partner.

“But for millennials, it’s just guys taking the p***, which is really disappointing. I think it’s better to meet in person.”

Brown can take solace in the fact that she’s far from the only person to fall prey to a catfish. Earlier this year, a woman from Canterbury called on the government to introduce laws against people creating fake dating profiles.

Anna Rowe told Kent Online that she had fallen in love with a man she met on Tinder, who called himself Antony Ray and said he was a businessman. However, she later found out that ‘Antony’ was a married father from London. He was using photos of a Bollywood actor on his Tinder profile.

“Using a fake profile and online identity as a platform to lure women or men for sex should be illegal, but it’s not,” said Rowe.

“The result is the other party believing they are beginning a real relationship with the hope of a future together and having sex is part of that believed relationship.”

However, if you’re currently using dating apps, don’t be deterred. The results of one major study into online dating, carried out in 2013, suggest that couples who meet online (in non-catfish situations) are actually more likely to enjoy long-lasting love than couples who meet through ‘traditional’ means. 

Images: Rex Features