Alex & Olivia Bowen’s romance rules
While Love Island relationships are notoriously fleeting, 2016 series contestants Alex and Olivia Bowen have just celebrated their one-year wedding anniversary. Here, they give Closer – and other Islanders – their tips for lasting happiness…
When Alex Bowen famously “failed” a lie detector test in the Love Island villa over his feelings towards Olivia Buckland, the public questioned the couple’s intentions. But while they were runners-up on the
2016 series, their relationship has stood the test of time, with the pair going on to tie the knot in a lavish ceremony last year.
Their second TLC reality show, Olivia & Alex: Happily Ever After, hit screens last month to coincide with their first anniversary.
With the majority of this year’s Islanders already having parted ways, and the next series just three months away, Alex, 27, and 25-year-old Olivia share their secrets on how to make a reality romance work…
STAY HUMBLE AND STAY GROUNDED
Being on Love Island instantly thrusts contestants into the spotlight, but Alex and Olivia say it’s important not to get swept away by all the hype.
Olivia says, “Stay humble. Some former Love Islanders can get excited and caught up in the whole ‘fame’ thing.”
Alex adds, “The people coming out of the villa now have so much attention, but we took it all in our stride and knew we weren’t invincible. We didn’t believe all the hype around us and stayed grounded.”
BE BEST FRIENDS AS WELL AS LOVERS
Both Alex and Olivia confess they weren’t sure their romance would continue outside the villa, but something just clicked between them as soon as they left the island.
“I don’t know if this sounds ridiculous or obvious to say, but you have to actually like someone as well as be in love with them,” says Olivia. “Alex can annoy me on occasions, but we really like each other as people, and we enjoy spending time with each other. It’s hard to be best friends as well as lovers, and it has to come naturally – but you can’t force it if it just isn’t there.”
TRY NOT TO GET DISTRACTED BY ATTENTION FROM OTHERS
Like most Islanders, the lovebirds had seemingly all the eligible singletons in the country vying for their attention when they stepped back into the real world – yet they only had eyes for each other.
Alex tells us, “As soon as we came out of the villa, we were thrown into working away from one another. We were both in situations where we were getting attention from the opposite sex, but all we wanted was each other. It really isn’t that hard if it’s what you want.”
TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS
They’d only known each other for five weeks when Alex decided to leave his Wolverhampton home to move in with Olivia in Essex.
He says, “When we were on the show, I wasn’t sure if we’d be able to work on the outside. But as soon as we got out and I went home without her, I knew I wanted to move in with her straight away and make it work.”
Olivia adds, “Loads of people said it wasn’t going to work out for us and told us we shouldn’t rush our relationship. But here we are years later, happily married. It just shows you shouldn’t listen to others and should go at whatever speed you want.”
ACCEPT WHEN IT’S NOT MEANT TO BE
This year’s winners, Amber Gill and Greg O’Shea, saw their romance fizzle out after five weeks, and Alex and Olivia say they were not surprised.
Olivia says, “If you really loved someone and really wanted to be with them, you’d make it work regardless. They’re just not meant to be together.”
Alex adds, “They didn’t really know each other that long, and they were coming towards the end – there weren’t really deep feelings there.”
REFRAIN FROM TALKING ABOUT YOUR SEX LIFE
The pair were known for their steamy romps in the villa, but Olivia says that in the outside world, she and Alex are much more restrained.
She says, “It’s weird for people to know [what we do now]. We did it on TV, so people wonder how we don’t want to talk about it now, but we’re both quite prudish. We have [sex], and its amazing, but we don’t talk about it.”
● Olivia & Alex: Happily Ever After, Fridays at 9pm on TLC
‘Loads of people said it wouldn’t work out
for us’