‘There’s no excuse for Marcel’s cheating – IT’S SHIT’
The Love Island star talks to us about Gabby and Marcel’s shock split, drinking and growing up
Alot can change in 12 months – just ask Olivia Attwood. This time last year, she was just another Love Island contestant, now she’s a proper celeb. We caught up with the reality star last week on her 27th birthday ( just before her raucous night on the town), to hear all about getting older – but not wiser – and how she feels about her crazy year. But first things first: we want to know her take on Marcel Somerville, who last week admitted to cheating on his Love Island gf Gabby Allen – while they were on holiday together.
The Blazin’ Squad star was forced to confess all after it was revealed that he’d slept with a girl in the same hotel where he and Gabby were staying in Mexico last month. This is particularly disappointing news, given that Marcel was celebrated as the “nice guy” of Love Island, and even released a love-advice book under the moniker “Doctor Marcel”.
“It’s crazy, isn’t it? I was absolutely gobsmacked,” Olivia tells us. “It just makes you realise that there are no good ones left, doesn’t it? He was the dad figure, giving out advice – there’s no excuse for it. It’s just shit, really. I don’t get it, he could have just broken up with her.” Liv herself has had her fair share of romantic drama since the show, splitting from Chris Hughes for good in March amid constant accusations of playing away on both sides. Most recently, her ex accused her of having cheated on him with current boyfriend Bradley Dack during their sevenmonth relationship, prompting her to respond with, “Ouch. What do they say about people in glass houses?” Talking exclusively to heat, she says she’d
expected better behaviour from Marcel. “I’ve said that this industry makes reality TV guys shit, but I’ve only used that reference to try to understand some of the other Love Island guys’ behaviour. They came out and had to deal with instant fame, and girls throwing themselves at them. But Marcel was in Blazin’ Squad – he should have been quite adjusted to the attention. I feel like he’s been there, done that. And he’s older, too.”
The reality star says that, though she and Gabby were never close, she intends to reach out to her former castmate. “I’m going to try to speak to her. But she’s a tough girl, I’m sure she’s doing fine.” Will she take her out to drown her sorrows? After all, the self-proclaimed party girl is the new face of i heart wines – a partnership she describes as “the perfect match”.
“It would be rude not to, wouldn’t it?” she says. “I was already an unpaid Pinot Grigio ambassador. Now I’m just getting paid for it. We go together like chips and cheese.”
As for getting older, she says that, while she still feels like she’s 18, she’s also learnt a lot about herself. “It’s been a big year,” she tells us. “I’ve overcome things. It’s weird thinking about how little I knew about what this year would bring. I feel like I’ve mellowed – crazy as that sounds. But if I got the chance to do Love Island again, of course I would. It’s eight weeks in the sun and a lot of fun.”
But can you really find everlasting love on the show or has Marcel and Gabby’s split proven there’s no hope?
“It’s not un-doable, you get lucky or you don’t,” she says. “The odds are quite slim that you’ll go into a house full of strangers and meet the love of your life – but good luck to you!” n Charlotte oliver
‘It makes you realise there are no good ones left’
Olivia is a brand ambassador for i heart Wines: www.iheartwines.co.uk