Before his long, hot summer on ITV’s IRL Tinder sessionLove Island (which has solidified him as a pin-up for lasses and lads across the UK), undeniable eye candy Jamie Jewitt was already making a name for himself, racking up a modelling CV which boasts campaigns for Tom Ford and Calvin Klein. Standard, right?

But on the back of the new found popularity and attention he picked up following the Love Island stint, he’s turned his back on daily public appearances and instead headed overseas to raise awareness and support international charities. Now why don’t guys like this exist in our Tinderspehere?

In the midst of the media storm surrounding him and partner Cam, we grabbed a moment with Jewitt to talk more about life after Love Island.

So what you been up to since Love Island?

It’s all a bit crazy; we’ve been bombarded with management deals. Me and Cam had different ideas so wanted to go and do as much humanitarian work as we could. It’s something we’ve been wanting to do for years. We felt very strongly about it, so we booked a trip to Greece. Sorted out contacts to help at refugee camps in northern Greece – there are four or five refugee camps that we’ve done. We’ve done four in four days, with four different organisations. I took a lot of camera equipment there (I’ve done directing for a while). I wanted to shoot a documentary and hopefully raise awareness, gain funding; inspire people to volunteer themselves.

And what’s the long term goal with this work?

I really don’t have a long term goal. I have lived a very privileged life up to this point. I read about politics and science, and geopolitics, conflict zones, different political wars in recent times. That’s why me and Cam clicked so quickly. So, it’s not that I’ve got a long term goal or anything planned in the grand scheme of things, just making sure I can make a difference. Help out the subjects and places I have read about.

What other projects you you got lined up?

I am having talks about hopefully doing something about mental health awareness and depression. It’s pretty close to me. A couple of years ago I was quite depressed and quite down. And I have a lot of friends that were affected quite severely, so yeah, that is definitely something I have been wanting to get involved in. Hopefully I will be doing a documentary, meeting a couple production companies.

Do you think that since you have been given this platform you have more responsibility to speak out about these issues and do the charity work?

I just find that modelling gave me so much from such a young age. I’m massively thankful for [it]. But I do feel like I’ve been quite privileged and it always affected me; it made me feel a little bit too fortunate in some respects. I think living in New York and coming back home… And seeing things in the news, after a little while it just sort of clicked. This opportunity came up, Love Island and now I’ve got a good following from it. In my head it made me kind of feel a little bit obligated to do something good. Again, I’m coming from a place [where] I’ve been quite depressed. And it makes me happy to do stuff like this. To make a difference.

And speaking about the modelling, is that something you’re keen to return to?

Yeah! Well, it’s what got me here in the first place. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it. It made me grow up quicker than any job would have done. Flying around the world at such a young age. Moved in moved out when I was 16. That’s what made me grow up. Travelling the world made me open eyes to many things, I owe a lot to it. It’s something I have enjoyed doing and I am using the gains for good.

What would you say is your major modelling moment so far? Other than today obvs!

[A] Tom Ford shoot. From 10 in the morning in Palm Springs; five guys and five girls, they brought up champagne and I was a bit nervous. It was like a strange pool party. It was really weird but it was so funny. It’s one of those moments that sticks in my head, makes me look back and think: “This is not a job”.

Coming out of Love Island. Do you think that being a model prepared you for the attention on an objectification level?

Yeah. This is the thing, I’ve never quite felt like that. I don’t think men objectified in the industry as much as women do. [As] men, we do it to ourselves more than people do it to us. I’m lucky enough to not have felt like that.

How have you handled the attention?

It’s been great. It’s nice because you get an idea of what people thought of you on the show from how they react when they see you in person. Everyone has been really nice and really supportive. They come and tell you exactly what they loved. Luckily we have not had anyone be nasty.

And in regards to the press being invasive, how do you handle that?

I always said when I came into this that nothing like that would ever bother me… But it’s proven wrong. It’s weird because tabloids, they’ve got their version of journalism. So you can say a general gist of something and they’ll twist it. It’s happened to me a few times, you just have to be thick skinned. A lot of the times it’s about headlines and clickbait. You leave them to it.