EVER since leaving the Love Island villa in 2016, Olivia Bowen has dealt with her fair share of online hate.
However, the young mum insists she no longer lets the trolls get to her.
The 31-year-old spoke exclusively to Fabulous as a brand ambassador for Cocoa Brown, which launched in Superdrug stores across the UK last week.
Olivia shares two-year-old son Abel with her husband Alex, who she met on the second season of Love Island.
After the couple finished their reality run as runner-ups, they received significant media attention.
While they still stay in the public eye, the pair have shifted from TV appearances to home renovation content on social media.
Olivia acknowledged that a public platform comes hand-in-hand with hateful comments, revealing how her mindset has changed over the years.
“I think when you’re younger, you do care so much what other people think,” she said.
“I do think with age that just changes, I don’t know why, I don’t know how but it just changes…
“When you’ve had a child, there’s bigger things to worry about and bust yourself up over than what someone online, who doesn’t even know you, thinks.”
She also shared her simple solution to any negativity directed towards her online.
“The block button is my favourite button, if anyone’s rude, I just block people and it leaves all the nice ones,” she said.
With the sense of security that has come with age, Olivia is now able to laugh about the “silly” comments she has received – but that hasn’t always been the case.
“I think when you’re becoming a mum, you’re quite sensitive because you just don’t know what you’re in for,” she said.
“I was quite sensitive but actually, people are just trying to give you advice and look out for you, and I think I see that now, which is really nice.”
However, there is still one topic that she can’t stand people’s opinions on.
“On the home account people always have very strong opinions on what I do in my house so I always find that really funny because I’m like, ‘you don’t even live there, it doesn’t matter,'” she said.
“But everyone’s entitled to their own opinion on things like that and you’re putting yourself out there for it to be looked at and for opinions to be made.
“I’ve definitely grown a thicker skin over the years and realised that it shouldn’t bother me.”
Olivia and Alex, who live in Essex, are currently renovating their own home, having sold their last pad for £1.3 million.
Olivia shared her long-perfected fake tan routine.
They have also done up two rental properties and are looking to buy another doer-upper at auction this year, to “flip it” and sell on for profit.
Olivia said: “I absolutely love my interiors, and I love my work so I think for me it’s actually a bit of a break from motherhood.
“I enjoy when I’m with Abel and I enjoy when I’m working because I’ve managed to make a career out of something that I love, so I’m just grateful for every day.”
Speaking of breaks, Olivia gets these when Abel goes to nursery twice a week and she explained her mum has dropped down to part-time work, so she can care for her grandson on a further two days.
“It’s like a win-win. It’s hard, obviously, leaving your child but I think, for us mums, if it’s work or even a bit of self-care, it can be worth it,” she said.
“You can’t pour from an empty cup and all that.”
The family are off to the Greek island of Crete today, having holidayed at the luxury Atlantis the Palm, in Dubai, where rooms cost around £1,000-a-night, earlier this year.
Speaking about the concept of mum-shaming, Olivia said it’s “hard enough” being a parent without needlessly critiquing each other.
“It can be hard and people don’t realise what other people are going through behind closed doors, you don’t know the full story,” she said.
“Why is everyone making it harder for each other when we all know it’s difficult?”
Olivia encouraged everyone, especially mums, to support each other.
“Luckily, I’ve got a really lovely friendship group who do that, and they’re mums as well, so that’s the thing I’ve been able to fall back on,” she said.
