Truth about Sam Gowland’s ‘millionaire’ life – as we reveal disastrous reality of Geordie Shore star’s property empire

JUST a couple of years ago, Sam Gowland was shouting from the rooftops about being a millionaire and living the dream. But fast forward to today and he’s all but disappeared from the public eye – and we can reveal his booming property empire is not all that it seems. Sam Gowland’s property company has been dissolved Credit: instagram/samgowlanddevelopments The star has spent years boasting about how much money he has made Credit: instagram/samgowlanddevelopments Earlier this month S Gowland Properties was struck off and will be completely dissolved within two months. The news will come as a shock to his fans who have followed his journey from Love Island in 2017 to making it as an international property developer. At one time the 31-year-old was regularly giving updates on the stunning mansions he was working on, claiming to have made over £2.6m profit. At its peak in 2021 his current business – S Gowland Properties – held £567,500 in bricks and mortar assets. Its filing history reported borrowing against five properties, all repaid in 2022. His last accounts, filed in September, report £367,329 in retained profits as at 31 December 2024. While the company might no longer be where he had hoped, Sam continues to show off his work on his property development Instagram page. There was his six-bed mansion in Wynyard Park, Teeside, three luxury villas in Bali and properties in Dubai, where he now lives, but it is unclear whether he has started any new projects in recent years. The star – who was also on Geordie Shore – recently sparked speculation he had fully retreated from public life after he deactivated his Instagram account. After two months he returned online this week and – despite his company going bust – he told fans: “You might have noticed I’ve been gone for 2 months. “I’ve been building the biggest thing you’re ever going to see. If you’ve ever wanted to get into property this will be your chance “10 years, 3 countries everything I’ve done, learnt, and earnt And how you can too. “Coming soon. For select people only. To register early interest, DM “PROPERTY” Explaining his online disappearance, an insider explained: “Sam took some time away from social media due to personal reasons. “He decided to clear his head because he also had all the stuff going on with his property business too.” It’s not just Sam who disappeared offline – his partner Scarlett Rae hasn’t posted on her Instagram account since March of this year. Sam started developing property in the UK before heading to Dubai and Bali Credit: instagram/samgowlanddevelopments He is said to have had a row with his fiance which led to him taking two months offline Credit: instagram/@samgowland They first started dating in 2021 but despite both having large Instagram followings, they kept their relationship mostly offline. In December 2024, Sam revealed they were engaged to marry but there has been no further news on any nuptials. Sam last posted on TikTok back in May. It was a video of him going to Marbella to drop £1.5m on a piece of land to build a property that would be worth £2.5m. There was nothing out of the ordinary about the clip – his TikTok is full of him boasting about how much money he is spending and making. Sam is best known for his very rocky relationship with Chloe Ferry Credit: PA He first rose to fame on Love Island in 2017 Credit: PA There are also a series of videos of him on what appears to be a podcast, discussing his success. But eagle-eyed fans spotted that he appeared to be just chatting to himself, creating an illusion of being interviewed. Our insider said: “Sam has done really well for himself but to suggest he is a multimillionaire is a bit of a stretch. “He’s very clever at making it look like he’s rolling in it – thanks to cars and villas but whether he actually owns them is subject to debate.” Sam was selling a dream on his social media, giving his followers the chance to become traders and ecommerce experts thanks to online courses, costing just £49. In 2020, he was rapped by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) after he boasted that a tipster service helped him pay for a new car and added that it was the “best second source of income I ever had”. Questions have been raised over Sam’s true wealth Credit: instagram/samgowlanddevelopments He claims to have made huge profits on all the properties he has developed Credit: instagram/samgowlanddevelopments It was ruled that he had failed to clearly label the post as marketing and irresponsibly promoted gambling as a means of financial security. Sam later teamed up with Jonny Mitchell, who appeared on his series of Love Island, and made a wild claim about making £10m since the show. In a video showing off their lavish lifestyle, they wrote: “Met each other on Love Island age: 20 money: $600. “Both had no purpose after Love Island, tried many businesses but failed. “Started trading after Love Island age: 25 money: $130,000. “We grinded for years… didn’t give up and finally made it. “Age 32 money: $13,000,000. Find out how we did it.” Fans were sceptical about their claims, with one person commenting they were “real scammers.” Sam was coupled up with Georgia Harrison during his time in the villa Credit: Rex Features He has been engaged to Scarlett for two years but there is no sign of a wedding just yet Credit: instagram/@samgowland “I can guarantee you that, in fact I will happily bet you £1000 that if you paid to join that group you will lose money,” another said. Another added: “13 million my a**e.” Sam stood by his claims and in one clip from his uncredited podcast, he told how he had made lots of money despite struggling for TV work. After Love Island, which saw him couple up with Georgia Harrison, he landed a part on Geordie Shore. He starred on the show between 2018 and 2019, with his rocky relationship with Chloe Ferry featuring heavily. The TV work dried up after that. He recalled: “I remember the last ever thing that was said to me was, ‘I’m gonna make sure you never ever work on TV again. I’m gonna make sure of it.’ “In fairness, she was correct because there was a three-year (hiatus), I’m sure I was blacklisted. I couldn’t get any TV show. “But I’m telling you, to this day, that is what really sprung me into action because I thought, ‘If I’m not gonna get no TV work, I’ve got no money so I’m gonna have to sort of create something myself.’ “Lo and behold, two or three years later I became a millionaire because I had to put my own plan into action without TV. What I’ve done based off the back of that has probably surprised some people, it’s crazy.” If his business accounts are to be believed, it’s a crazy story indeed.