Love Island star Olivia Hawkins has broken her silence after being dumped from the villa, denying accusations of toxic femininity and dismissing rumours that her father is the CEO of the show.
The 28-year-old actress and Michelle Keegan body double was voted off the ITV2 dating show alongside Maxwell Samuda last week. In an interview with The Sun, she insisted the scenes depicting the girls 'bashing' the boys were misleading. 'It was never about the girls bashing the boys,' she said. 'I had many times when I was in tears that wasn't shown on TV. There were real emotions.'
Hawkins attributed the conflicts to 'big personalities clashing' in a confined space, but stressed: '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.'
The reality star also addressed speculation that she was a planted contestant, after fans claimed she was favoured. 'Apparently my dad is CEO of Love Island. You have to laugh don't you?' she said. 'The truth is I was a real contestant, I was not planted in there for any other ulterior motive.'
Hawkins, who was in six couples during her time on the show, added: 'No acting was going on in there, that was my true self.' She said she is now looking forward to showing her 'fun side and big heart'.
