Olivia Attwood has backed Love Island bosses signing celebrity contestants and says Joey Essex shouldn’t be cancelled for his recent appearance on the show.
The former Islander, 33, told MailOnline that reality TV stars are ‘fearless’ and Joey, 34, being a seasoned professional, made the ITV2 series one to remember following his shock entrance.
She believes Joey’s career won’t be affected long-term by the current backlash after he was furiously called out by viewers for his unfair treatment of ex-girlfriend Grace Jackson and argumentative reaction towards his fellow Islanders.
And she feels it’s ‘sad’ audiences are saying the former TOWIE star should be ‘cancelled’ when he was entertaining and took risks during his time on the dating series.
Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Olivia said: ‘Joey mixed it up, he took risks, he wasn’t afraid to move on impulse and that’s what makes good entertainment.
Olivia Attwood has backed Love Island bosses signing celebrity contestants and says Joey Essex shouldn’t be cancelled for his recent appearance on the show
The former Islander told MailOnline that reality TV stars are ‘fearless’ and Joey being a seasoned professional, made the ITV2 series one to remember following his shock entrance
Olivia feels it’s ‘sad’ audiences are saying the former TOWIE star should be ‘cancelled’ when he was entertaining and took risks during his time on the dating series
‘Joey was a really good Islander, whether you like the way he moved or not, he did bring a lot to the show, that comes with someone who has done other reality TV, there’s a fearlessness, they are braver and bolder, which makes for a strong show.
‘I have no problem with celebrities doing Love Island, I think it was exciting to see him in there, but I know people feel very passionately about it.
‘I don’t think Joey’s career has been harmed, we love people’s rise and fall, we love to narrate that. It’s really sad actually. He hasn’t done anything awful.
‘People are talking about him being cancelled… Cancelled for what? He just went on a reality TV show and mixed it up a bit.
‘Joey has been on the scene for years, just because some people didn’t love him on Love Island, I can’t imagine it being the end for him at all. He has lasted the test of time for a reason, he’s very hard working and ambitious and I personally don’t think he will be cancelled.’
Joey lost out on a place in the Love Island final on Monday night after former stars of the show decided to dump him and girlfriend Jessy Potts, leaving Islanders Mimii Ngulube and Josh Oyinsan to win the title and £50,000 prize.
Olivia was surprised by the result after she predicted Welsh runners-up Ciaran Davies and Nicole Samuel would go all the way.
She added: ‘I thought Ciaran and Nicole would have it in the bag. I did try to watch the series because Ronnie Vint went in, and I was invested from the very beginning.’
Last week, Olivia was announced as host of brand new dating show Bad Boyfriends, which sees the star whip unsuspecting male partners into shape and was filmed in Greece this year
Olivia’s work commitments coupled with footballer husband Bradley Dack’s schedule meant they spent over three weeks without seeing each other
Olivia made the Love Island final herself in 2017, when she finished in third place with former partner Chris Hughes.
She has since worked closely with Love Island bosses, who she says have ‘nurtured’ her successful presenting career at ITV including with her documentary series Getting Filthy Rich.
Last week, she was announced as host of brand new dating show Bad Boyfriends, which sees the star whip unsuspecting male partners into shape and was filmed in Greece earlier this year.
The Loose Woman, who also fronts podcast Olivia Attwood’s So Wrong It’s Right, says the transition from dating show contestant to presenter was ‘surreal’ but she also felt ready for the challenge.
She said: ‘Over the last seven years, I have been working away and trying to earn my badges.
‘I have done my documentaries and a reality show and honed my craft. Going on Loose Women was a massive learning curve for me.
‘When the channel approached me about this format, I couldn’t believe it… I was listening to them describe the show and I said ‘okay, now you need a host’ and they said ‘yes, you!’ I thought, oh my God, this is huge.
‘It’s a huge honour but at the same time I felt I was ready for it. It felt scary but also very natural. It has been so emotional.’
Olivia’s work commitments coupled with footballer husband Bradley Dack’s schedule meant they spent over three weeks without seeing each other.
The absence of social media posts didn’t go unnoticed by Olivia’s 2.2million Instagram followers, who were keen to know whether the newly married pair, who tied the knot in June last year, were still in a happy place.
But Olivia says the time apart only makes them stronger and she couldn’t be more supported by Bradley, who she jokes hasn’t grown tired of her face or voice despite her continuous TV appearances.
Olivia says the time apart only makes them stronger and she couldn’t be more supported by Bradley, who she married in June last year
She said: ‘I will be honest, during our first year of marriage, he played football in Sunderland, and I filmed four different shows. It was really, really hard. The time we had together was super limited.
‘But as a couple we are strong, I’m as supportive with him as he is with me, and we are in that phase of our life where we are pursuing our dreams and our goals, so it means quite a lot of time apart. I’m not going to glamorise it… it can be very tough.
‘Not to generalise but what I have in Brad in a partner is so rare, he supports me and pushes me, and you don’t find that in many partners.
‘If I was him, I would get sick of my voice and face because you can’t escape it, the podcast, TV adverts, living with me, but he never tires of it, he’s a very supportive partner and I’m very grateful.’
Olivia’s latest project has seen her team up with Three UK to launch their new campaign, Mind, Body and Scroll.
The partnership aims to help the nation boost their ‘Social Fitness’ skills, creating stronger networks and a deeper sense of belonging with friends and family.
To give users the optimum experience when using their mobile phones, Three UK are hosting a pop-up event on August 7 and 8 at The Outernet, where leading experts such as Keith Broni, Editor-in-Chief of Emojipedia, will be conducting talks including an Emoji-Press class.
Olivia’s latest project has seen her team up with Three UK to launch their new campaign, Mind, Body and Scroll
The partnership aims to help the nation boost their ‘Social Fitness’ skills, creating stronger networks and a deeper sense of belonging with friends and family
To give users the optimum experience when using their mobile phones, Three UK are hosting a pop-up event on August 7 and 8 at The Outernet in London
Olivia explained: ‘I am working with Three UK to launch the world’s first social fitness hub. It is basically Mind, Body and Scroll.
‘Essentially, the philosophy behind it is we all spend a lot of time on our phones, we are a technology driven society but a lot of us don’t know how to use our phones effectively to connect to each other.
‘It’s basically a pop-up and immersive event on the 7-8 August in London with experts and coaches who are going to help people connect better with their loved ones, use their devices, an emoji lesson – apparently there are 1000s of emojis but some of us only use 4-5 in a day. It is basically helping people to build their network of people.’
She added: ‘Some of the research Three UK has done shows that G-Zen on average has 20 unread messages at one time on their phone, we are all on our phones, but it is connecting effectively.
‘If I didn’t have my phone, well my family are dotted all over the country, I wouldn’t see them or speak to them at all without my network on my phone.
‘It is such a big part of our lives and it’s helping people to reach that to the maximum. It is about strengthening your connections for a sense of togetherness.’
- Olivia is launching Three UK’s Mind, Body & Scroll, the world’s first social fitness hub, to strengthen our sense of togetherness and belonging in our networks in The Outernet, London – 7-8th August. Free tickets visit Mind-Body-Scroll.eventbrite.com
