I was the most controversial Love Island star and it’s been so hard for me – there’s only so much hate I can take

LOVE Island star Olivia Hawkins revealed that life after the villa has been "hard" - saying there is "only so much hate she can take".

The boxing ring girl - who became one of the show's controversial stars - said she has struggled with the negative reaction she has received from the public.

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But Olivia, 27, praised her strong support network who have helped her get through this difficult time.

Olivia exclusively told The Sun: "I’ve got a lot of strong people around me, thankfully.

"It has been hard on me.

"There’s only so much I can take.”

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Speaking about moving on from it all, she said: “I’ve got a lot of exciting things coming up.

"I haven’t stopped since leaving the villa. I can’t wait, I’m so grateful.”

After being booted off the ITV2 dating show last week she faced a public backlash stemming from hundreds of complaints to telly watchdog Ofcom about the women reducing the men to tears.

Olivia insisted that she is not the villain and has a big heart.

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Discussing the scenes where the girls were — in the words of viewers — “cruel and manipulative” to the boys in the name of “sisterhood”, a trend dubbed “toxic femininity”, were misleading.

In an exclusive interview with The Sun, Olivia said: “It was never about the girls bashing the boys.

“I had many times when I was in tears that wasn’t shown on TV. 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.”

Olivia and Maxwell Samuda's chances of making the final ended when they came bottom in a public vote.

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