THE BIG SUNDAY READ
REALITY star Nicole O’brien has opened up about being trolled over being too thin on Netflix’s Too Hot to Handle.
The influencer with a following of 770,000 on Instagram shot to fame on the show and went on to do MTV series Ex on the Beach.
Netflix launched Too Hot to Handle in 2020 challenging 10 contestants to keep their hands off each other in a bid to win a $100,000 cash prize.
But despite her success since taking part Nicole, 27, opened up about feeling self conscious over her weight.
She told the Irish Sunday Mirror: “It took me a long time to be comfortable with who I am and how I look.
“When people comment on people’s weight, it really annoys me.
“Like, when they say, you look too skinny you should eat a burger.
“When Too Hot to Handle came out I was very self conscious.
INDUSTRY
“I got comments like, ‘You look ill’.” Naturally slim Nicole explained: “Mom’s side of the family have always been very slim.
“I was self conscious about being skinny in school.
“I had to wear trousers instead of a skirt and really hated my body for years because I was so lanky.
“I had to work on my confidence, growing up and struggling with how I looked affected me.
“I’ve had to learn how to love myself.
“There’s much envy, especially in my industry, but I’ve learnt to stay in my lane.
“It would drive you insane otherwise.”
Nicole said reality shows like Love Island can, ironically, prevent you from finding true love.
She explained: “Guys are either a bit intimidated by what you’re doing.
“Or else they’re only wanting you for a bit of press to get their own leg in the door with something else that they want to do.
“So it can actually be more of a hindrance than a help when it comes to dating.”
Cork native Nicole, who shares a flat in London with her Too Hot to Handle co-star Chloe Veitch, said it’s common knowledge that reality shows affect future relationships.
She said: “A lot of my reality girlfriends have said the same thing which is mental.
“When the show [Too Hot to Handle] came out I thought I’d meet a husband straight away.”
She said Love Island, which she turned down as a potential contestant in 2016 after her parents intervened, needs a revamp. She said: “It’s in its ninth season. “They need to spice it up a little bit. It’s the same stuff all the time.
“It’s probably had its day in terms of the format.”
Singer Nicole, who recently released her debut single C’est La Vie, revealed how reality shows can be “toxic”.
She explained: “Love Island plays on people getting booted out. It can be a toxic environment.
“You just need to have the right people