Olivia Buckland says Love Island needs ‘curvier girls’ to spice things up and says ITV has work to do on body diversity in the villa
Love Island’s Olivia Buckland admits that ITV aren’t ‘quite there yet’ with body diversity in the villa.
Fans of the popular ITV reality show have been left outraged after the the lack of plus size contestants which haven't given the best representation of 'normal' bodies.
The latest series of ITV’s hit dating reality show features the usual mix of preened and athletic-looking wannabes.
Current contestant Anna Vakili, 28 has been branded the ‘plus sized’ girl in the villa - but fans don't agree with the label because of her flat tummy and perfect curves.
Although Olivia, 25 thinks that the villa has a great range of people that have different careers and personalities, she admitted that the range of body types can be improved on.
“It’s great, there’s been great diversity with the careers, everyone is from different walks of life, everyone’s had different jobs and things, a scientist, that is incredible to have someone like that," she said.
The reality star went on to say that she hopes that the bombshells that enter the villa later on in the show will reflect a more diverse group of body shapes and that will make the show more relatable to viewers.
Speaking exclusively to The Sun Online about her new summer tanning campaign with Cocoa Brown Tan, the former Love Island star said that more needs to be done about getting a range of bodies into the villa.
“I think they’re getting better every year and I think the more we make noise about it, the more we talk about it, the better it gets...
“But I don’t think it’s quite there yet, I won’t lie.”
She added: “I think that in the fact with body image, there’s still some work to be done, and I think ITV are aware of that."
“I think it spices things up and gives a relatability that we have for everyone yet, and I think even more body shapes like athletic, curvier girls, I just think we need a variety.”
Olivia herself, who is a size 10, has been trolled about her curves in the past, including when she went on holiday with hubby Alex to Barbados.
She told her fans she was shocked by comments about her body - but used humour to"turn the other cheek... my apparent bigger a**e cheek, at that".
The blonde beauty rose to fame in 2016 on the second series of the show, where she met husband Alex Bowen, 26 and ended up being the first couple to tie the knot from the show.
Olivia admitted that married life doesn’t feel very much different, but it is weird to tick the Mrs box and sometimes accidentally writes her maiden name Buckland, instead of Bowen.
“It’s really nice, it’s weird when you hear that, you were the first Love Island married couple, it’s very strange, it’s quite a big thing, I feel very proud to be honest,” she said.
Although Olivia is happily married, she revealed that if she were to couple up with any of the boys in the villa, she would pick Curtis so that she could joke around with him - and have sibling bond, rather than a romantic bond.
The social media influencer thinks that the "mum and dad" of the villa, Curtis and Amy can go the whole way out of the villa.
“I think they’re kind of everyone’s favourites at the moment, they kind of feel like the Dani and Jack and Nathan and Cara situation because they’re very well suited and they seem quite loved up already.
“So they could go the whole way, but I think they’re my favourites, just because Curtis cracks me up, he’s a little old man stuck in a young man’s body!”
Mindful of how her body would be on display through out the series, Olivia admitted that she opted to take a bottle of fake tan in with her, even though she was in a boiling hot climate.
The Cocoa Brown ambassador said: “I took fake tan in, I won’t lie. I just don’t tan very well, and if I tan I go red, I’m one of those people that is like factor 30, factor 50.”
Olivia joked that Alex's natural tanning ability drives her insane as she relies on fake tan for her glow.
“Alex tans so well, he can sit in the sun for 5 minutes and he’s already got a tan and I’m there like a lobster!”
Olivia Buckland is the face of Cocoa Brown By Marissa Carter, available at Primark, Superdrug and www.superdrug.com
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