‘I spent Christmas with the Kardashians in LA’
Love Island’s Eyal Booker on his new celeb pals, falling in love and why he would jump at the chance to do I’m A Celeb...
Eyal Booker was getting used to life as a bachelor after failing to find love on the 2018 series of Love Island, which propelled him into fame, or on Celebs Go Dating later that same year.
But everything changed for the 25 year old when he met model Delilah Hamlin, who lives in LA. Eyal quickly fell head over heels and the pair celebrated their one-year anniversary in May.
And that’s not the only thing that’s been keeping Eyal busy. The reality star, who also took part in last year’s The X Factor: Celebrity, recently launched his fitness and wellbeing subscription platform, Empower, providing daily workouts and wellbeing exercises for his followers.
Here, we catch up with him to chat fitness and future plans…
Hi Eyal. How are you adapting to the ‘new normal’?
It took a little bit of time at first but now it’s become exactly that and feels like normal life. I’ve been really on top of my health and fitness, spending time with family and friends, as well as working on a couple of projects for the new year.
What was your reunion with Delilah like?
After not seeing each other for so long it was a very special moment for us! We decided to road-trip from London to the south of France. We love roadtripping with each other as it’s the best way to explore and spend quality time together. We were away for 10 days, driving, exploring and stopping in different beautiful locations along the coast.
Was it tough being apart from each other during lockdown?
The difficulty was there was no end date, but we got through it. We kept the romance alive by having movie nights on FaceTime. We also had date nights where we both had dinner and got dressed up and chatted over screens. And, for me, it was also about sending her flowers and making her feel like
I’m thinking of her.
You’ve said in the past it was love at first sight. How did you meet?
Delilah DM’d me out of the blue. Then we went for a drink in London and sat there talking and talking until the early hours. The next day she went back to LA. I thought, ‘Is that it? But I love this girl, how am I going to see her?!’ For the next three weeks, before I went out to see her in LA, all I could think about was her. That’s how I knew as I’d never felt like that before.
Sounds like a romcom…
I know. People would say, ‘You know when you know,’ and I’d say, ‘That’s bulls**t.’ Then I met her and we connected on a level I hadn’t before.
How do you like to spend your time together?
We work out together and we’ll take my dog on a walk, which is so nice.
You did some crazy fitness challenges in lockdown… What workouts do you usually do?
I’ve always loved circuit and HIIT training and the idea that all you need is your body weight to workout. So in lockdown, I didn’t have to change my training that much. I applied what I’d learnt
To start with there are no weights, so it’s a mixture of HIIT, circuits and low-impact exercises, so that people can choose their own variation. Everything’s done to time as opposed to repetition, so someone might do 30 squats in 30 seconds and someone might be able to do two, but as the weeks go by, you’ll get better and better.
He took part in Celebs Go Dating
I did a half marathon up and down my balcony. I was inspired by a friend who did six marathons in five days around his 14ft patio. If you think I’m mad, then he’s bats**t crazy! throughout the years and did it on my balcony.
What exercises are on your fitness platform Empower?
‘In lockdown I did a half marathon up anddownmy balcony’
Have you always been a big fitness fan?
I got really into it a good couple of years ago, but I used to only train for the physical side and was never conscious of the mental effect it would have on me. Without even realising it, part of the reason I would train is because it would clear my mind.
Are you still singing after taking part in X Factor?
No, I love singing and performing but I think I’m going to keep that to myself. When the opportunity came about, it was something I couldn’t say no to. I wanted to give it a go, but I don’t believe singing is my calling in life, and I’m OK with that.
Which other reality shows would you like to do?
I really want to do Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins. I love the idea of a physical and mental challenge. I’d also love to do I’m A Celeb because it’s that same element.
Have you been starstruck?
I went to the Kardashian Christmas party, so Kanye West was pretty crazy. Delilah and her family are friends with them and I spent Christmas in LA and went with them. It was a very surreal experience.