We Need To Talk with Paul C. Brunson - Who Is The Real Dami Hope?

Episode Date: July 16, 2026

Love Island’s Dami Hope opens up about his life before reality TV, from his Nigerian roots to growing up in Ireland and the moments that shaped his identity. Dami reflects on his family’s move from Nigeria, being one of the only Black children in his town, changing his name, facing racism at school, and learning how to fight for himself and his siblings. This is a personal conversation about belonging, identity, family, resilience, and the man behind the public image. (00:00) Intro (00:27) Dami's Nigerian Roots and Growing Up in Ireland (06:22) The Realities of Being Black in Ireland (10:20) Dami Opens Up About Bullying and Fighting at School (20:57) How and Why Dami Changed His Name as a Teenager (23:10) Dami's Career as a Microbiologist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to We're Talking. In this episode, I sit down with Love Island's Dami Hope to talk about his Nigerian roots, growing up in Ireland and the moments that shaped his identity. So I think in order to get to know who you are, let's go to the roots. To the roots. The roots. And I feel like the roots are Nigeria. The roots are Nigeria. And it's something I'm proud of. Like, I'm proud of being Nigerian.

I'm proud of, like, you know, my family. I'm proud of what my family did to try to give us a better life because my dad was a dreamer. He's the reason why we probably is migrated. It migrated to Ireland. Yes. And like just as a kid, I can remember like, you know, flashes of like me, me getting, me getting to this point where we're in Ireland. Obviously, probably not in, probably not legally or wherever.

Because, you know, we're very clever people. You know, in Nigeria. Very clever. Very clever people. So it's like, obviously there's a planning place to how to like, you know, to make sure we're able to stay here. And I feel like back in them days was a bit easier as opposed to now. Because this is the 90s.

Yeah, yeah. I say 90s. I was born 96. Okay. I think I was in Nigeria to like maybe I was about three years old. And from there, I remember me and my little sister, she was two years after me. So it was just me and her. And then it was me and my mom and then my dad.

And then, you know, he'd bring us over to Ireland. And I remember, I think at first we used to, like, we used to live in a hostel with, like, a bunch of, like, loads of different people. Because obviously, when you've come to this place, it's like, you're trying to find a place for your, you know, for your family and for yourself. And I remember, like, little flashes were just like, it's just like, as a kid, you can remember just little dots of moments. Yes.

Of, like, oh, I'm in this hostel. I can see my mom playing chess with, You know, people that she's just making friends with in this situation. And I know everybody was against him doing this, because I remember my grandmother told me, because my mom's from my grandmother's side. And she told me, she was like, we don't have to, you know. To go.

To go and do all these things. But obviously, he wanted to make something out of himself for the family. I remember this memory of like my dad, I was sitting on my dad's lap. And then he has a car and he's like, I'm sitting on the lap. And like my hands are holding it when he's there. And I'm only like, I think at this point, I'm only even just five years old. But it's a very vivid and clear imagery I have of him.

And then I remember alongside that, we finally got like, I think, an estate house. Okay. So now we actually got like a place and it was like maybe three bedrooms. It was like our first home there. And, you know, we're shifting from one house to another house. It's just me and my sister until obviously, you know, they start adding, you know, the new members now. That's the clever. That's the clever part for like why we're going to be able to stay here.

or whatever, you know. Yes. So they start adding them and then, you know. Can we expand on that? Because I get what you're saying. You get what I'm saying. You get what I'm saying, why don't? But if you could paint the picture,

because I don't think your family's going to get in trouble. Because almost everybody was doing that. So it was you and your sister. It was me and my sister first. We were Nigerian. Like, we came from Nigeria. And then I think we had, like, my younger brother. And he was now Irish.

Like, now he was born in Ireland. And then every other sibling we had after that. Me and my sisters don't have any Irish or English names. But those lot, they got the names. So, like, he got David, they got Cynthia, they got Amanda. Me, it's just Femi and Dami. You know what I mean? It's just straight in Nigeria.

But the ones, the ones that came with the Irish passport, they got the Irish name. They got the names too. You get me? Yeah, definitely. So with you coming in, I wanted to, I looked at that period of the late 1990s, early 2000s in Ireland. One, because I'm just fascinated about Ireland.

but secondly, because you were coming. And I saw that that period was called the Celtic Tiger, where Ireland traditionally had these low, I mean, these very high rates of unemployment. But then during that period, everything took off. The economy took off. And there was this great demand for service workers, so much so that the population within Ireland couldn't maintain it.

So I think that was your father, clever, smart, saying, this is a great opportunity for me. So he selected Ireland. What was it that your father and mother were doing for work? You remember? So my mother has always been like in care. So she's always studied care. She's always done care.

Like my dad, I say he's a man of all trades. So strong, you say strong family unit. Yeah, very, very strong family unit. Because there'll be times where it's like my dad would probably have to relocate from, We live in Wexford. He'd have to relocate to Dublin for the forever job he has to do. And we probably wouldn't see, and you have to get a place over there, so we probably wouldn't even see him now.

I feel like it was a lot of hard work, whatever they were doing at that age. But, you know, when you're young, I'm just seeing that I want to play outside. I just want to, you know, make friends and stuff. But then when you look back at it, it's like they've done a lot for us. Like, you know, they've done a lot for me, my siblings. And, like, just like, and there's a lot of happy memories in it.

Because, you know, some people, the situation could be. be like horrible, but I don't remember it as being horrible. I remember still being like a happy, you know, youthful kid that got to play outside. They still got like bicycles whenever, you know what I mean? They still got all these little things that, you know, you see, you'll see other kids get like in your neighborhood. And like, I'm enrolled in school now and, you know, school is,

school is amazing, you're making more friends and you're now, you're now part of like a system. Yes. You know what I mean? Like you're actually inside the system. I'm enrolled in school. I'm doing all these things, you know? So it's like now I'm part of Ireland.

Interesting. You got what I mean? I get what you mean. But, you know, it's interesting to me because you are Nigerian. Yeah. But at a very young age, you're in Ireland. So there's a cultural difference. Yeah.

There's also a racial difference. Yeah. Because I was looking at the stats too is in that time. And even now, less than 1% of Ireland is black. Yeah. You know, so you are distinctly different, but how you describe it, you felt like you were fully accepted and brought into the... The 2026 Chevrolet Tracks is the stylish SUV for those on the move. And with the standard Chevy Safety Assist package, you have the backup to handle every turn with confidence.

The 26 tracks, start your build at Chevrolet.ca. Community. Yeah, and at that time, I could say there wasn't actually many black people that lived in our... town. So it was very kind of like, it was just very like unique and happy that, you know, people are actually accepting of that. At that point it wasn't racism because I was the kid that I could jump higher than everybody else. I could, I could run faster than everybody else. So it's like, I was using all these talents that comes with me probably being, you know, from my ethnicity to kind of show off. So then it's like people look at that and then they kind of like, they kind of like

pull you closer when you can do all these things. It's not like, oh, it's like I'm a monkey dancer, for people. It's just like I'm using these things that I know will kind of give me more a piece to people. Even at, even at early age to like, you know, but then the only thing I'll say is like, I feel like even at early age is just when it comes to like, you know, a teacher saying your name or, you know, mispronouncing it. And then that's when it starts becoming, oh yeah, I remember now I'm still kind of different. Yeah, because you do the roll call. And it's like, I'm doing all these things. Yeah, I'm accepted. But then in the roll call and you're trying to say my name, but she's but she's butchering it. She's not

saying it. She's not saying it the way she's saying James and, you know, Henry and, you know, Samantha. She's saying it's like, I did, do, the, and it's, it's very, and then you just remember that, oh, okay. Is that when you change? Because you go by Dami. Yeah, I go by Dami. And I feel like a big part of the reason for it is like, even though I was young, it was still something that kind of stuck with me all the way from primary school to like secondary school

because my full name is Adidamola, Omobology. And then like, I feel like when teachers would like, what teachers would go to the Omobology part, it would be like, they would kind of say apology. And then it would be like this little smirk like, and you know, kids, we make jokes, and we tease each other and stuff.

stuff like this. And it's like, it's funny, yeah, but then at the same time, it's like, it's not that hard to say. And it's like, it can't really keep being like this every day. And then now the kids have a new joke, you're like, oh, apology. You know what I mean? But I'm not an apology. I'm not, I'm not sorry. You know what I mean? There's nothing. So, but it's the thing that like, it kind of sticks. And then as obviously I got older and, you know, even in, in secondary school, it's like, now at this point now, I'm more than, I'm a teenager. I'm, I'm closer to an adult. So when it's still happening, It's like, yeah, it's not like I'm changing for anyone else,

but it's more like, you know, you can just call me, damn me. Just call me damn me. Do you know what I mean? Yes. Like there's some people that actually did try and they'll pronounce it well, or they're fascinated by the name, or they be like, oh, my God, how do you say it? You teach them and they get it, but there's some people never really care to, you know,

ask how to say it, and they'll just keep switching a different day, remixing it a different day and then, you know. Yes. You know, we had Big Zoo on. Yeah, Big Zoo, okay, yes. who I love, right? But his name is Zahar. Zahar, yes, yes.

Right, and I was asking him about this. He said his mom, his own his mom calls him that, right? Yes, yes. Exactly, only his mom calls it. And I was asking him, how does he feel knowing that his name, he's had to anglicize his name in order for other people to be more comfortable? And he felt uncomfortable initially. Right.

So he has to put himself in a place of discomfort to make others feel comfortable. I feel like this is what often happens when we're anglicizing names or... But now I get it because we're trying to fit into a culture. What do you believe was the lowest moment for you? I don't know how this period started, but like, you know, men, boys, they always take the piss. And there was one day in class. I think one of the guys that, like, it was like, I was getting gang. up on, like, you know, everybody was, like, dropping jokes on me, and they were making, like,

small, like, passable racist remarks that, like, even the teacher was still writing on the board. And this all, you can hear all this stuff that's going on, but you're not turning around, you're not doing anything. And everyone's making all these, like, black jokes. You know what I mean? All these, like, your dad's disappeared, even though my dad's still in my life. All these, like, compare me to chocolate bars and all these, you know, all these just, like,

quick, snickering insults. And every time I make a joke, because, you know, you know, it's just, you know, you know, You know, I'm the only black person here now, and it's a class full of maybe 14, 15 white boys. So it's silence. And we're in a SPHE class, which is all about social and all this stuff. And it's like, this is the type of class

where you should actually be saying these things aren't actually allowed, but nothing's actually happening. And I must have said, like, I think then I must have hit this guy with a joke that, like, everybody just turned around and they were like, what? How could you say that?

This than the other. I was like, I have not said anything, like, as bad as wherever you guys have said, right? But I was apologetic for my joke. So I come out now and I think this is where everything changed. This is the moment where everything changed now. Interesting. Because it was like, it was a way where it's like, I come out now.

Everybody's angry with me and my joke, even though everybody's being laughing. Even the teacher now finally turned around. Do you know what I mean? Oh, to say that what you said was unacceptable. Damnie, get out. And I said, what? So I'm outside now, taking a little breeder. I may be settling into myself that like, oh, maybe what I actually said was too far.

Cool. I'm hearing now, like, everybody's, like, angry. And they come out there saying they want to fight me. I didn't want to fight anyone. I said, like, it doesn't actually have to go to this. And I remember we're inside this, like, a secondary PE room. Yes. And, like, no one's there.

It's all, like, closed up, boxed off. It's like shower room or whatever. Right. And I remember I was like, everyone just formed around. And I was like, oh, like, you know, still trying to plead my way out of this because it's like I actually don't want to fight. You know what I mean? But I said I don't want to hit you either, though, because if it's a thing where it's like,

okay, I deserve these hits because of what I said, I'll take it. Wow. And then guy kept hitting me, kept punching me, but I was still standing and he was getting more upset because I wasn't punching back. And he was saying, I need to fight back. But I just kept letting it hit me. And I feel like it wasn't enough, though. Because I've taken the hits now and everyone's gone home.

but then the next day, because I didn't fight back, it now needs to turn into a whole fiasco of like, we need to go again. Wow. And I'm like, brother, like, we've already like squash this. Like, do you know what I mean? This should be enough now for us to like, you know, carry on, like whatever way it is that we're going to carry on, just carry on.

But at this point now, I've already said no, but if you're going to do it again, I'm going to punch you back. Because I've taken my hits. And at this point, I'm ready, like, I'm readying myself now because it's like I can't let people think that I'm someone that you're gonna keep like doing this too. I've given you the first one. So the next one, obviously I've beaten them up.

It's very quick, very fast, but then now they're angry with it because now I've beaten them up. So then it becomes a whole, it becomes a whole thing of like different people from different points of the school. People that are even expelled, they're not even in the school. Like everybody now wants a piece of me. To do I mean, everybody now wants a piece of this, black guy that doesn't seem to fall down when you hit him.

And I remember some guy went on Facebook at the time. And obviously on Facebook, everybody can see what everyone's saying. And he was like, oh, this chocolate bar is going to get it tomorrow or this kickout, whatever, blah, blah, blah. And I'm seeing over like, what, 200 likes. And these are all from, it's from the school. And at this point, I'm not telling my parents about this. Like, there's no one that can really, like, go to my siblings or young.

It's just me. And you do go to the teachers. The thing is, no one. can snitch, you're not, it's, it's like, you can't, you can't, you can't, like, snitch at this, you know what I mean? It just became a whole, like, uproar, like, all the other schools now are hearing about this, even my old school, all my other friends, like that, that I don't, I'm not with anymore, they're all hearing about this, the girl school. It's like, I don't come to this school to fight, do you know what I mean? But it's like, it gets to a point.

And I remember the last fight that I ever actually ever had, had to have was with this kid that was expelled. And I remember my vice president, the vice principal at the school, he brought me into his office because I feel like the older years, they met me outside. And they've obviously been hearing about, you know, all these fights. And they felt sorry for me. He was like, dammy, like I'm hearing all this stuff that's happening. And honestly, this is, this is what he said. He said, honestly, if you're going to fight, just don't do it in your uniform. And I said, I said, but the only thing is, I knew he hated the guy that was expelled. You basically got the approval of the only kind of body of authority.

Yes. To say you could do it. Yes. And it's like when obviously they told him, they probably told he was going to say, okay, you know, speak to me and maybe try and find a way from me to leave school quietly where I don't actually have to be outside, blah, blah, blah. I must have been walking out and it was the school bell rang. And we're all walking down.

And it's like it was a whole swarm of people, like even parents, like school buses were not going to move, like, everybody, like, stood still just to come and see what was happening. It was, like, over, I'd say, like, 400, like, 500 people just coming to, you, this is, to watch you fight. To watch, yeah, because the thing is, I was making so much news about everybody that I was beating up, and obviously, now everybody now wanted to see this person that everyone keeps talking about. Right. And it's become this whole spectacle of, like, oh, why doesn't he, like, why does it, like, why is no one able

to beat him up? Why is he just this, this, this, the other. And obviously, the guy that was expelled, he's really popular. Like, he's a bad boy. Like, he's really popular, whatever. This, Dan, the other. And I'm popular, too, at this point. So it's like, now everybody's here to come and see this.

And they've obviously seen the racist stuff that he's put online to come and, like, you know, do all these things. And I remember walking, you know, past the school buses, like, through the lanes. And before I know it, I'm in the middle of this big circle. Good. Like, I didn't even, like, I was just walking. walking and then suddenly I'm wrapped around everybody. And someone's taking my bag now. I've given my bag.

I think I've seen my bag just being flicked somewhere. You know what I mean? Just put somewhere wherever it is. And before I know it, not even a time for conversation. It's like, bro's just stepped towards me. And he's like, oh, so you ready, yeah? You ready? I don't know if you call me chocolate bar again or whatever.

He's like, but, you know, are you ready, yeah? And again, I plead like, look, bro, we don't actually have to do this. Do you know I mean? Because that's the one thing I always say to people. We actually don't have to fight. There has to be something else before we actually have to get physical that maybe we can just leave it as. But if you hit me, I've made it about to myself.

From now, if you hit me, then we actually got to go. And I remember he's come up now and he's punching me, he's punching me, he's punching me. And the punches are severe. Like in every other fight that I felt, I could feel these ones like so intense. intensely, so painfully, I, it's thinking in my head, today's going to be the day that maybe, you know, I actually fall. And I'm trying to find, like, all the pieces of clues of, like, what am I supposed to do?

As I'm, like, trying to, like, weave and trying to punch back and try to whatever, but I'm still getting hit. And it's like, it's like nothing I'm doing in this instance is actually working, you know? And I remember, I remember, like, just had a flashback earlier on the day of my MMA friend talking about, bro, you have such long reach. just like step back and then you know and I just remember him saying it to me and somehow I don't know

I don't know if got into my body or something happened it was a way where it's like I step back weave and then fell down lights out and in that moment it was like it was a sense of like this was the last battle that I ever have to do like nobody would touch me now do you know I mean? Yes.

And from then it's like I created this like safe, harmonic, like, space in this town for my siblings and everybody else, because now nobody would be racist to them. Nobody would touch them. And it's a thing where it's like, like, I'm almost like a hero now. But, all right, this is an amazing story. Sorry, I've been going off. I've been going off on the tangent.

I'm so sorry. No, no. That's not a tangent because that was the seminal event in your childhood that not only, you reshaped how people viewed you, but how you viewed yourself. And then also how people related to your siblings. Yeah. Right. So you could see how that moment changed you.

My question, though, is how do you believe it changed you? So who were you, who were you before kind of like those series of fights? And then who did you become? I was someone that was scared of being alone, wanted to, like, you know, fit in and, you know, try to peace to people, you know, just to do that. But then through the series of fights, I stopped being scared of being alone.

It's like me being myself was enough. And if nobody else vouch for me, if nobody else fought for me, I'd fight for myself. And, you know, that's just it. But, again, it's okay. Yeah. But is it okay? Right?

Because I see you saying, this is what people keep saying, and it's okay. But after you hear something enough, it has to impact you. It has to affect you. I feel like I've been hearing it for so long. It doesn't really, like, affect me anymore, though. That part of anyone's life, right, is so important because you're, what, early teens? Early teens, probably like 12, 12, 13. 12, 13.

you're beginning to figure out what your identity is. And I always say that our identity is the story that we tell about ourselves, right? So at that age, what was the story you were telling about yourself? To yourself. To myself, I feel like I was... The story I was telling to myself is,

like, I'm supposed to be somebody. The type of music that I liked at that point, I loved Eminem so much. Like, I'd run away to... I run away on the computer, mixing little CDs of Eminem. Because obviously at that point, you had to rip file and download it so you didn't have to pay for it and stuff like this. I'd be finding new ways to do.

So I was like, I was kind of like very nerdy and very like, who I was, is very nerdy in the sense that like I would make things happen for me. At the end of the day, say I'm alone. I got to cry about it. But I will eventually, you know, be where I need to be, make the friends that I need to make. It's the same way, you know, I've done it before. It's just I will do that again. And am I answering your question?

No, you're answering perfectly. And it was one of the boys that I really loved. Like, he loves rapping, I loved rapping, and we'd always be doing it on break. And it was like our escapism. It was Facebook error. And I feel like it got to a point. You know, back in Facebook days,

like, all the kids used to, like, you know, change their names on Facebook. So you try and, like, have a stage name. And obviously, I used to write, I used to write, like, bars. I used to write poems. I used to write, like, just write stories and stuff like this. And I remember I was like, just thinking I was feeling down on myself. And I was like, yo, like, I was trying to figure out, like, which names I could do.

There was one, I was like, damn Zola. I was like, damn Nader. I was like, you know, I was just like free ball and stuff. And I was like, but no, that doesn't hit. Like, what do I need? Like, what do I need in myself? Like, what do I always need? And then I was like, hope.

And I was like, yo, damn you hope. And then literally I just put my name that same day on face. put my name Dammy Hope. It was the thing where it was like, there's no mistake now I've reintroduced myself. This is who I am. That's what I shouldn't say that. That's fascinating. You named, you came up with that name.

It came up with that name. I literally sat down, changed my name on Facebook, came in the next day. It was a thing where it's like, if you know me, it's Dami Hope. And then from then it's like everybody just started obviously knowing me as that name. Also, did you have a love for science? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I feel like I feel like I always know. always just thought biology was the easiest,

like, because it's just, you know, human anatomy, photosynthesis, it's just how things, you know, are made or how living things, it's just, I feel like it was one of the ones that was just easy to remember. You know what I mean? Especially biology, just organs, just bones, as long as you just keep reading about it.

And then when it came to the chemistry aspect, though, I was like, please, please, not for me. But as you do biology and stuff like that, I think, yeah, I was a big fan of it. But I was more, I feel like I was more of an English. I always just loved English. When I wanted to go to university, you know, when we're filling out all the things that we want to do, I was like, oh, I want to do just anything with literature, journalism, anything to do with English. And my dad was like, there's no money inside that war, no.

So you have to go and look for the ones that have money. And then I'm like, obviously, science, science, I like science too. And then it's like there was biopharmaceutical courses with bioscience. And then it was a thing where I was like, you know, got to do. do what old man says, so did the science, right. But to be honest, he wasn't lying, because obviously when I actually started working, and, you know, I...

So this is after university. After university, I actually started working. I got my, you know, first job, and, you know, it was like I started off as a... not an intern, but there's a different word for it, but I guess it's kind of the same, whatever. So I started off as that, and then, like, so quickly,

I built my way up to be the manager within, like, two years. Okay. Do you what I mean? And there's people older than me that were there. There's people that were there. And you were doing what there? I was doing a microbiology. Okay.

So I had my own team, like we had ROTAs like, there's two teams, A&B. I managed maybe like 15 people. So we work four days on, four days off. And we were, you know, doing tests for, you know, microorganisms and food, water. Even when COVID was happening, like, we were like a big part and just like, you know, checking all this stuff and padded. Look at that. Yeah.

Microbiologist. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He wasn't lying, though, because they weren't paying pretty well. They were paying pretty well. And, you know, at that point, you start to like, you start to forget. It's not like I forgot the things that I like, but you get so honed in because this is my job. And, you know, there's times where I actually had more time to do things. Yes.

But now at this point, it's like I have to do all this managing stuff. I have to train people. I have to do this. So it's like all this literature stuff and all these poachries and all these, you know, things that I used to always do. Where's the time? Right. Because you're focused on work. Yeah.

Yes. So would you say before you. went into Love Island, that you were really happy with who you were, the man that you had become. Yeah. I feel like before I went in, I definitely felt proud of where I was. I felt proud of where I've reached, but something inside me just always felt like maybe there's more. And if you want to hear the full unfiltered stories from today's guest, you can check them out on the We Need to Talk page. Drop a like, leave a comment, and hit subscribe. See you next week.