Olivia insists she’s ‘not toxic’ in huge first interview since leaving the Love Island villa

Last week saw original Love Island 2023 cast member Olivia Hawkins dumped from the villa whilst the Islanders were at the Beach Club. She and partner Maxwell were voted out, before having to decide on two further Islanders to take with them.

In the weeks leading up to her dramatic exit, there had been loads of drama surrounding Olivia – including claims of “toxic femininity” and bullying among contestants. There had even been hundreds of complaints to Ofcom about how women in the villa had reduced the men to tears.

But now, in a huge interview since being sent packing from Love Island, Olivia has spilled exactly what she thinks of everything that went down and what was said about her.

Speaking to The Sun, Olivia said episodes in which the girls were branded “cruel and manipulative” by viewers were edited, and insists there were key bits the public didn’t see. She said she has a “big heart” and isn’t a villain, despite what people say.

“I had many times when I was in tears that wasn’t shown on TV,” she said. “There were real emotions. Maybe it was a case of big personalities clashing, it was so intense and arguments are inevitable when we were in a confined space together 24 hours a day.

“But it was definitely not a case of toxic femininity. When people meet me they will see the real me, I’m definitely not a villain. Now I’m out of the villa I’m looking forward to people seeing my fun side and my big heart. I’m a genuinely lovely person.”

via ITV

During the interview, Olivia also finally said what the deal was between her and Love Island 2023 bombshell, Zara. When they were in the villa, it was revealed the girls had known each other for years – but still had drama on the show like they’d never met.

When asked if there was any bad blood between them, Olivia said: “Absolutely not. We worked together once on a music video. We’d kept in contact over social media. But I’d say we were work colleagues not so much friends. So when she came in it was nice to have a familiar face. I didn’t expect to fall out with her, out of everyone in there.”

via Jonathan Hordle/Shutterstock

She added: “Being in a triangle [with Zara and Tom] was so hard. It was so intense. But looking back now I feel like we were played against each other and I wish that hadn’t happened. But we left on a high and we cleared things.” She said she doesn’t hold grudges, and would definitely say she is friends with Zara now.

So, after all this, what’s next for Olivia? The actress said she is looking at going into musical theatre, which she previously trained in. “I did Love Island, but in terms of reality. For now I just want to focus on my passion and what I’ve been doing since I was a child,” she said.

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