Olivia Hawkins was one of this year’s most controversial Love Island contestants, but while her feisty attitude hit a nerve with some viewers, others praised her honest, outspoken approach.
The 27-year-old former ring girl is no stranger to the world of showbiz, having appeared in music videos for Craig David and DJ Tom Zanetti, and has even worked as a body double for Our Girl star Michelle Keegan.
But it was getting picked to be an Islander on the sun-soaked (if rather windswept) ITV2 show that really catapulted Olivia to fame.
After entering the South African villa in January, her road to romance was turbulent from the word go.
Despite "vibing" with the likes Tom Clare, Haris Namani and Kai Fagan, it wasn’t until Casa Amor that she found her match in Maxwell Samuda.
The couple, who are still together, recently went on their first real date outside the villa.
Olivia found herself at the centre of plenty of drama during her time on the show, with some viewers branding her a "villain" and "fake".
For the first time ever, ITV bosses banned the Islanders from having active social media accounts while they were in the villa in a bid to protect them from the online trolling that past contestants and their families have endured.
The star believes the social media precaution was probably a good thing and, during our chat, admits it’s been tough dealing with the trolling – including vile death threats – she’s received since emerging into the real world, even if she does describe herself as a "strong girl".
Here, Olivia discusses her aspirations for the future, her desire to appear on some of the UK’s biggest TV shows and why there are no hard feelings between her and Kai…
Hi, Olivia. How have you coped with being back on social media since leaving the villa?
It’s been up and down. When I first got out and saw my phone, I was quite overwhelmed because I didn’t know what light I’d been painted in, so that was quite hard to deal with. But I’m definitely getting used to it now and just ignoring the negativity. I know myself, my friends and family know me. And that’s all that matters.
Have you found it tough being in the public eye?
Yeah, it’s hard. And obviously because of the social media change, the trolling hadn’t been filtered out, so I was the one having to see it all by myself when I left the villa, which was really difficult.
What’s been the hardest thing to deal with?
The mental health aspects of fame and trolling. When you get the nasty comments – and I have had quite a lot of death threats – you just don’t expect it at all. So when you see it, you’re just completely shocked.
That sounds terrible – you must have been really upset?
I’ve definitely had down moments, but I’m a strong girl. I always have been. So you have to just block it all out. Those people [trolls] don’t know me, they just see what they see on television, so that’s up to them. I’m just going to carry on living my life.
Why do you think some people painted you as the "villain" of this year’s Love Island?
From the clips that viewers have seen, I absolutely understand how they would portray me in that way. But what people see is such a condensed version of your time in the villa. I think viewers really need to take what they’ve seen with a pinch of salt. I am human at the end of the day, I’m not a character on television.
Is there any love lost between you and Kai?
No, I’m so happy for him – honestly. I think Kai and Sanam [Harrinanan] are genuinely lovely souls. When I left the villa, we were fine. After a few days, we got back to normal and everything was squashed. So I just wish them the best and I’m happy for them. I know people want me to be angry, but I’m not. I don’t hold grudges – life is too short.
Do you have any regrets about appearing on Love Island?
I don’t live life with regrets. Going on the show is such an amazing opportunity and I’m so grateful to ITV for letting me have that experience. Only so many people can say they’ve done it, so no regrets.
How are things going with the lovely Maxwell?
Things between me and Maxwell are really good. We spent pretty much the majority of time together after leaving the villa, before I went to spend time with family. There were rumours that we had split up, but they’re absolutely not true.
Did meeting his family in the outside world go well?
It was great. I felt like I’d known them for ages, which might be because they’d been watching our journey in the villa. The first time I went to Max’s house, he wasn’t even there! So I had a cup of tea with his dad for an hour and we just chatted about everything. I haven’t met his mum yet because she lives in Dubai, but I’ve spoken to her on FaceTime.
Do you see a future with Maxwell?
I definitely see it going long-term. I’ve never had a boyfriend before, but I definitely see it going in that direction, for sure. I think I’ve just been way too picky in the past when it comes to guys.
Now that you’re out of the villa, what are your career goals?
I’m really open minded and open to whatever comes my way. I would definitely be open to doing Dancing On Ice like Ekin-Su [Cülcüloglu] and I would really love to take part in Strictly Come Dancing – although I’m not sure if it would be controversial with my dancing background.
Are you hoping to have the same level of success as former Love Island star Molly-Mae Hague?
No. I don’t really look at past Islanders and their career paths because I think mine is just so different. No one’s ever had a job like me before, with acting and being a body double. It’s very different. So I’d really like to create my own path.
Is there any advice you would give to future Love Island contestants before they enter the villa?
I would say definitely think about it hard before you go into it, because it can change your life. I think you do have to be a very strong person to go into Love Island, but I’d say go into it with an open mind and you’ll have the best experience of your life.
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