‘Wecouldendup with six kids!’
Love Island star Olivia Bowen reveals her and hubby Alex’s baby plans are in full swing
She’s one of the most downto-earth ex- Love Island stars, so it’s always a treat to have a gossip with Olivia Bowen. She’s also one of the luckiest contestants of the ITV2 show, too – she fell head over heels with her hunky husband Alex Bowen during their stint in the famous villa back in 2016.
Since, they’ve gone from strength to strength and after moving into their dream Essex mansion earlier this year, it’s no surprise that Olivia, 26, and 29-year-old Alex are looking to add a baby into the mix very soon.
Here, Liv reveals all about their plans for a family and how lockdown mended her friendship with fellow Love Islander Cara de la Hoyde-Massey…
Hi Liv! It’s your second wedding anniversary this month. Have you got any plans?
We were considering going to Mykonos, but I’m so worried about travelling. We’re doing a staycation instead.
How would you describe your first two years of marriage?
A bit of a whirlwind. I still don’t feel old enough to be married – even though I’m 27 in a couple of months. It’s crazy, but it’s been amazing. We’ve been so lucky to have the new house and be setting up our little family home.
Do you ever wish you could relive your big day all over again?
Honestly, yeah. We always say
Olivia says it’s time for them to grow up it’s a bittersweet feeling to know you can’t relive it – it was the best day ever. But
I threw a party for Alex’s birthday in our garden and it had the same feeling.
You’ve admitted you’re feeling broody in the past. Is that still the case?
Have you congratulated your Love Island co-stars Cara de la Hoyde-Massey and her hubby Nathan on the arrival of their new daughter Delilah? Me and Cara have been chatting quite a bit recently and making sure she’s OK. She’s doing so well and she looks amazing. Delilah is gorgeous – I’m so proud. I can’t wait to see them and get things sorted and go back to how we were. I can’t believe it’s been two years since we spoke. What’s been going on with coronavirus has taught me what’s important.
The couple fell for each other on Love Island in 2016
Yeah, we’re definitely on that sort of radar. But with me travelling to New York next year [filming a TV show] we’re having to postpone it a little bit. I was coming off the pill, but we can’t do that any more, because of New York. But next year is what we’re thinking… it’ll be soon. I can’t wait! It’ll be five years next year that we’ve been together so maybe it’s time to grow up a little bit.
Will your dogs be good siblings?
Reggie will be all right, because he’s had Winnie come in and take over, but Winnie will be a little bit jealous. She’s my little baby – I carry her around and she sleeps next to me. She’s going to have a bit of a shock.
How many kids do you want?
I’d love to have two – but I really want a girl, so who knows? Obviously I’m happy regardless, but maybe until we get a girl, but then we could end up with six kids! Ideally, it would be twins so we can have a boy and a girl in one go and you’re all done.
Alex has been broody for a while. Is he excited?
He’s buzzing. He’s made me see things differently.
It’s because we’re in the new house and we’re more settled. But he’s really looking forward to it. He was gutted when my job got moved. He was like, ‘Damn it! It can’t be this year!’
We’re so happy you’ve sorted things out after you fell out about your wedding...
It’s so nice, because we were all so close and for us both that was a really weird time and it exploded for no reason. I was getting married and had trust issues with everyone around me at that point. I didn’t know who I could trust and who I couldn’t. That was my mistake and I’m so glad to have her back.
You’re one of the most successful Love Island stars. Do you appreciate your success because you come from such humble beginnings?
Yeah, I guess so. Sometimes when you see both ends of the spectrum, you appreciate what you’ve got more, because you know where you have been. It’s definitely mad when I look back at the time I sold my sofa to buy food and I lived in a council flat. I’ll always know that Love Island gave this platform to me, but when you stand back and look where you’ve taken it… I don’t think I’ll ever get to a point where I’m like, ‘Yeah, this is normal!’
Did you really sell your sofa for food?
I used to go out quite a bit. When I lived in a council flat, I was 22 – just before I went on Love Island – and it was either go out for the weekend or buy nice food. I had a credit card and I couldn’t afford to buy anything, so I had to sell my sofa to feed myself.You make silly mistakes when you’re that age and it was a learning curve.
‘I’m coming off the pill next year… Alex is really looking forward to it’
What’s next for you?
My New York trip has been moved to next year, but when I go it’ll be amazing. And we’ve been working on our fashion company Exempt Society and we’re still busy, but it’s a different kind of busy.
Olivia and Cara were inseparable on before they fell out…
You suffer with anxiety. How did you manage to keep it in check during lockdown?
My friends have been off work as well, so I’ve been in contact with them and I’ve got a good support network. There have been lots of Zoom calls and FaceTimes and I’ve been writing a million lists to make myself feel better. I’ve also been doing an interior design diploma online. I’ve been trying to keep busy and I find that really helps.
I never really weigh myself, but I tend to go by how I feel, rather than how I look.
I was so good at working out in the garden, but four to five weeks ago I just gave up. You don’t get this time at home very often, so I was a bit lazy. I reckon I’ve put on a few pounds, but I’m not arsed. I went back to the gym today. Hopefully the pounds went to my butt!
He’s not arsed. He tells me I look good regardless. That’s why I’ve become chilled out – I’ve got really nice support with him behind me.
Gemma McCartney