Megan Barton Hanson: “I’ve had a lot of intense relationships – I want to focus on myself”
The reality star tells Closer why she chose to speak out about her racy past – and what life after Love Island is really like
She hit the headlines last week when she was pictured kissing multimillionaire Harry Fenner – who it later emerged was married. But Megan Barton Hanson claimed to have no idea Harry, 30, had a wife – and sources close to the star revealed she’d ended the reported four-month fling as soon as she found out.
Bisexual Megan, 26, is no stranger to getting attention over her romances, having dated her Love Island co-star Wes Nelson, TOWIE star Demi Sims and footballer Chelcee Grimes. But Megan tells Closer that she’s fully committed to being single and wants to spend time focusing on herself, rather than a relationship. She says, “I love being in love, but I’m in no rush to find a relationship any time soon. I’ve had a lot of intense relationships recently – with my one after Love Island, and then my recent one in the public eye – so now I just want to focus on being me. I’d love to get married one day, but that’d be a bonus, not a necessity – and it’s not something I want any time soon. I want to take time to love myself and be a boss b*tch.”
TABOO
Megan, 26, was one of the breakout stars of Love Island series four in 2018. She famously caused a stir among the couples when she entered the villa, and after advances from the likes of
Eyal Booker and Dr Alex, she swooped in and moved in on Wes Nelson, who was coupled up with Laura Anderson.
Meanwhile, a media storm swirled around Megan on the outside world while she was in the villa – with revelations about her plastic surgery transformation and her work as a stripper and webcam girl. Megan admits that she was on the fence about opening up about her career past.
She says, “When I came out of Love Island, I wasn’t sure about how much I was going to talk about working in the sex industry. A lot of my friends were like, ‘Do you not want to be seen in a different light?’ But I’m so glad I owned it. I wanted to be a voice for all the classy, respectable women who just happen to work in the sex industry – and remind people it shouldn’t be a taboo or be looked down on. Women should all be happy and proud to talk about their sexuality and not be judged for how many sexual partners they’ve had, or for talking about masturbation. No one bats an eyelid when men talk about it, or open up about their sex life! It’s not fair.”
FRUSTRATED
Ann Summers ambassador Megan has been living with her parents during lockdown and reveals how this – and social distancing – has affected her love life.
She says, “While it’s been lovely spending time with my parents, I am feeling a bit frustrated. I can’t wait to have sex again – I think I’ll have a whole other life once I’m no longer living with them. I do have a lot of sex toys, though – I think self-love is really important, especially during these times.”
And Megan says she’s loved how lockdown life, despite its obvious drawbacks, has given her time to relax and reflect on her fast-paced life. She says, “I’ve been able to press pause on life and think things over. It’s been so full-on since Love Island – the last two years have been a whirlwind. It looks amazing on social media, and it is – there have been many amazing opportunities and I wouldn’t change it for anything, but it’s hard sometimes too. It’s competitive with brands and other girls – if you don’t have enough followers or look the part, you’ll lose jobs and that can be hard. You have an amazing platform and it’s intense, but it’s scary that it can all be swept out from under you too.”
MISSING HUGS
But despite her enjoying a slower paced life, Megan is planning to party with her friends once the pandemic has passed. She says, “Socialising in a big group is what I’m most looking forward to. I’m quite an affectionate person too – so I can’t wait to hug my friends. I love going out and meeting new people – especially with me being single now, so that’ll be amazing once we’re allowed to. I just want to dance in the sunshine with my friends – then I’ll be happy!”
‘Self-love is really important – especially now’