At the end of the day… Ovie Soko

In the evening [before the lockdown], I try to get in no later than 8pm-ish, but obviously it varies. I try to sleep no later than 10.30pm, as I usually have to be up for basketball training at 4.30am. But that’s OK – I prefer the mornings. It’s really refreshing when you go out and there’s no movement. You can think more clearly, and it alters your mood. The first thing I do is say thank you for waking up, and I say thank you for all the little things that we

usually overlook.

In the evening, most of the time I chill out and listen to some audio books. Recently I’ve been listening to Rich Dad, Poor Dad, which has pretty interesting life lessons. Oh, and I also play Call Of Duty. I need my space, so I would usually see my friends at the weekend and go for dinner to catch up. But otherwise, I like my quiet time. I’m not good with being crowded and having people round all the time anyway.

Even though I didn’t watch Love Island before I went in the villa, I did manage to catch some of the most recent series. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to watch it consistently – I just don’t always have the time – but it’s cool watching it when you know exactly how the show is made, and you know just how situations can play out. It’s sort of like knowing something from the inside, which I think is really neat.

I do cook – but not all the time, sometimes I’m just too tired. But I certainly try to control what I’m putting into my body. Most of the time, it’s really basic – greens and a lot of sweet potatoes, and either salmon or grilled chicken. I’d say I’m very good at grilling – but I don’t really think that’s cooking!

From last year’s series I stay in touch with Amber [Gill]. I check in on her from time to time to make sure she’s all right. I also message Greg [O’shea] every once in a while, and I get messages from George [Rains]. And that’s it really. It’s just like work, you probably wouldn’t message everyone in your workplace the same amount.

I don’t go on many dates but that’s by choice. If I was choosing a date, I would normally go to the park because you can talk and get to know someone – and there’s nothing to distract either of you. You want to be in an environment where you don’t have to act a certain way, like in a restaurant or something like that.

Attention is not difficult to deal with really and, when it comes to dating, I think the more time I spend on myself, the more I know what I want: I feel like if you don’t spend enough time with yourself, then you really will never know what you want. It makes it clearer what’s important to me.

I like to take breaks from social media. I think it’s healthy to be apart from it, and not let it govern your world. Social media can very easily become a measuring stick, which it shouldn’t be. It’s very easy to fall into the trap of comparing yourself to people you’ve never met when you don’t even know their story. It’s always lovely to take a break.

Ovie Soko is working as VOXI’S Love Coach, offering his words of wisdom and advice via VOXI’S Youtube channel