‘I’t’s notallabout fireworksandpassion’
Love Island star Shaughna Phillips on her search for The One and why she’s in no rush for marriage and babies
After her stint on Love Island earlier this year, Shaughna Phillips joined the Celebs Go Virtual Dating line-up in a bid to find romance. But following a string of unsuccessful dates, the 26-year-old is still on the hunt for Mr Right, telling us her love life is pretty much non-existent at the moment as virtual dating “isn’t for her”.
Shaughna – who has also joined dating app Happn – admits she’s looking for someone “respectful” that she can introduce to her mum. And when it comes to looks, she admits Kourtney Kardashian’s ex Scott Disick is her dream man.
“I think he’s really good-looking,” she says. “And he’s got such a funny personality – I find him hilarious.”
While she wants marriage and babies in her future, Shaughna says she’s in no rush to settle down and is instead focusing on her career.
“I’ve been to university and I’ve done jobs that I’ve loved and work is definitely something I’m passionate about,” she says. “And it’s something I feel like I can achieve more than I can having a baby right now.”
Here, Shaughna opens up about dating disasters, why she finds it hard to trust people and stripping off for The Real Full Monty On Ice later this year…
Hi Shaughna! How’s your love life going?
I don’t really have one! It’s such a weird year, so I’m having fun talking to people. But in terms of actually meeting people, that’s not really happened
Have you been doing any more virtual dating?
I did two socially distanced dates and one virtual date when I did Celebs Go Virtual Dating, and it was just very weird.You almost feel like you’re at a work meeting if you do it over Zoom.
What’s your idea of a dream date?
My ideal first date would be something pretty active. Not rock climbing, but something like crazy golf where you can still have fun and get to know each other. I don’t like things like a cinema date because you can’t talk and get to know someone.
Do you have any embarrassing dating stories?
One of my most embarrassing stories would be when I went on a date with a guy who I wasn’t really into, but to be honest, I had nothing else to do. A week later I went to the same place with an ex who I was talking to again. I was at the bar getting a drink with my ex and the waiter was like, “You were here last week.” That was an awkward conversation – trying to convince my ex I was out with my brother!
Nightmare! So what are you looking for in a man?
I’d love someone who is family orientated and someone I could introduce to my mum. Respectful and polite are boxes I have to tick. And someone who has a bit of drive about them and knows what they want.You don’t have to have it all, but as long as you know you’re working towards
something with that person.
What’s your type on paper?
I definitely don’t like pretty boys. I’m not a fan of someone who is better groomed than I am! But not rough and ready either. So somewhere in between.
You must get a lot of men sliding into your DMs…
I don’t ever actually look into my message requests because that is where all of the trolls go to vent stuff. I’m more than happy to let them vent in my messages that I never look at, so feel free!
Do you find it hard to trust people’s intentions now you’re in the public eye?
Yeah, and I feel like that started as soon as I was in Love Island. You get these new cast members that join the show while it’s being aired and have watched you, and as soon as they came in, I found myself thinking, “Do they actually want to be my friend? Or am I just popular outside and that’s why?” I like to think that I’m good at sussing that out. I think you can tell by the way people treat you.
How do you think you know when you’ve found The One?
‘My ideal first date would be something pretty active’
It’s just someone you feel at home with and someone you want to talk to about your day. Someone you can literally just relax with and feel completely comfortable with. I don’t think it’s when there are fireworks and lots of passion – that’s almost a misconception. It’s someone you feel like you can be truly yourself around.
Do you see marriage and babies in your future?
I hope so. I’m definitely not in any rush for marriage and babies, but there is a pressure on women to have babies. And if you don’t have babies by a certain age, it’s like, “Why not?” That’s definitely something that’s on my mind. My mum had me by the age I’m at now, and the thought of me having a baby… I sometimes
Is there anything else you’d love to do?
I’m A Celebrity
The
I’m really looking forward to it. I’m really enjoying filming it and the cast are amazing. It doesn’t feel like work at all. Obviously it’s on ice this year, so that’s something that’s filling up my fear rather than actually taking my bra off. That hasn’t even entered my mind.