Olivia Bowen says Love Island was like 'exposure therapy' for disordered eating
Love Island star Olivia Bowen has recalled how being on the show helped her figure out her issues with food.
Olivia Bowen felt like Love Island was "exposure therapy" for her disordered eating.
The 32-year-old star has opened up about how she has struggled with eating in front of other people, which was a challenge when she appeared on the ITV dating show back in 2016.
Appearing on Thursday's (02.07.26) episode of Good Morning Britain on ITV, she said: "My disordered eating manifested itself in not wanting to be seen eating.
"I couldn't put food on my own plate."
That proved challenging on the show, where the Islanders are expected to serve themselves up at mealtimes.
Olivia added: "It acted as if it was exposure therapy".
She explained her disordered eating is "a lot to do with control", and how she is able to "process emotion".
It's also linked to anxiety and depression, as she added: "It's not necessarily to do with the actual food, it's just manifesting itself in a certain way."
Reflecting on the moment she entered the villa, Olivia recalled feeling "like a scorned lover".
She said: "I was very off with the idea of a relationship because of how I'd been treated in the past, and I had my own issues."
However, she met husband Alex Bowen on the show, and their relationship has gone from strength to strength, as they welcomed their son Abel into the world 4 years ago, followed by their daughter Siena in August 2025.
She smiled: "I feel so lucky, even to be here today... It has given me a family, it's given me two beautiful babies, it's given be a husband."
Meanwhile, Olivia isn't ruling out the prospect of supporting her kids if they want to follow in her footsteps and join whatever the equivalent of Love Island may be when they're older.
She laughed: "I can't contradict myself, can I? To be fair, I wanna support my children whatever they wanna do.
"I brought them into this world, but I just wanna nurture them."
Alex previously noted that he and his spouse - who got married at Gosfield Hall, Essex, in September 2018 - felt more confident as parents following Siena's arrival, compared to when Abel was born.
He explained to Heat magazine: "When we first had Abel, obviously you don't know exactly anything you're doing anyway, like how to change a nappy.
"But this time, it jogs your memory and you kind of get back into the swing of things."
