Love Island STARS ARABELLA CHI AND WES NELSON TALK ABOUT THEIR INSTANT BOND
X FACTOR: CELEBRITY STAR WES NELSON AND HIS LOVE ISLAND GIRLFRIEND ARABELLA CHI CHAT TO OK!’S JOSIE COPSON ABOUT THEIR WHIRLWIND ROMANCE
They might not have been on the same series of Love Island, but that hasn’t stopped Wes Nelson and Arabella Chi from coupling up.
Wes, who came third with then-girlfriend Megan Bartonhanson in 2018, was hooked on this summer’s series of the ITV show. And when Arabella, 28, entered the villa he realised he’d previously tried to woo her.
Days after she left the show, Wes, 21, tried his luck again and the pair struck up a romance, declaring their love for each other within weeks and very quickly moving into their first home together. The loved-up pair were forced apart due to Wes’ manic schedule on X Factor: Celebrity with his group No Love Lost – featuring fellow islanders Zara Mcdermott, Eyal Booker and Samira Mighty. And despite their dramatic exit from the competition recently – with mentor Simon Cowell insisting they could still return to the final as a wild card – Wes is insistent that they will continue to make sweet music together.
Here, we chat to the couple about their instant bond, why jealously is not an issue and how the music has always been in Wes…
How did you meet?
Wes: I had sent her a DM of a Will Smith GIF before she went on Love Island. I was with Josh [Denzel] and we were pinging them out to everyone. When I saw her on the show I was like: ‘Oh God, this is quite funny’ and when she came out of the show, I gave it a second go.
Arabella: He messaged me on Instagram saying: ‘You smashed it,’ which was sweet. I’d only been out of the villa a few days.
Wes: I knew I had to get in there first before someone else snapped her up! I had to fly out to LA for the X Factor: Celebrity auditions but when I got back a couple of weeks later, we met up at the restaurant Sticks ‘n’ Sushi. It was the funniest date I’ve ever been on, and we haven’t stopped laughing since. A few weeks after that, I told her I loved her in a nightclub. She said: ‘You can tell me that tomorrow morning’ – and I did!
When did you become girlfriend and boyfriend? Arabella: He asked me to be his girlfriend in Ibiza in August while we were watching the sun go down together. We were having dinner with my parents and I went back to our table and told them: ‘I have a boyfriend!’
How long was it before your relationship was discovered? Wes: About a day! We didn’t want to hide it, which is why we have been so successful. We’d rather be spotted than constantly feel on edge. We were all over each other on our first date.
When did you move in together?
Wes: I haven’t left Arabella’s flat since the first time I stayed over right at the start of our romance. There was never a set moment when we decided I’d move in, it just happened. We’ve just got our own place together now but it doesn’t feel like a big jump as it’s what we’re already used to. Arabella: Having our own place is a fresh start and we’ll be building a home together. We’re deciding on all the furniture together, and where we’re going to put Wes’ new music studio.
Do you ever notice the age gap between you?
Wes: Never! People tell me I act way older than my age. I’m very mature, and Arabella is the immature one [laughs]. Arabella: People always think I’m 21 because I don’t look, or act my age. Wes has had a lot of life experience because he’s been on Love Island and has done a lot, so he has been fast tracked.
Wes, how did you feel when No Love Lost was voted off The X Factor recently?
I think people thought I’d be more gutted than I was. I got what I wanted from the show, and we’re still a group – there are no plans to split. We’ve learnt so much, and now we’re ready to make our mark on the industry. What we wanted was to be recognised as artists, and we’ve done that. We know our sound and group dynamic so we can move forward, whether that is with The X Factor if the public chooses to vote us back in for the final, or without it. We’ve had a couple of meetings this week with some big companies discussing tour dates. It’s great that we already have that interest. We’re only going to get stronger. Arabella: I’m so proud of him. I loved going to watch him do what he loves.
What is Simon Cowell like as a mentor, Wes?
He’s so nice! He has a professional aura about him that can be
intimidating but he’s not a nasty man. He’s constantly given me and the guys advice and support, and he has an endless knowledge of the industry. He knows what he’s doing as two of our original songs have made it to the top 40 now, which is nuts!
Do you like being known for something other than Love Island, Wes?
I’m not ashamed of being a reality star because I’ve enjoyed it and it’s got me to where I want to be. But I like being labelled as an artist now because it’s cool. It’s nice when people come up to me on the street they say: ‘You were so good on The X Factor.’ It gives you a bit more substance, and something more to be proud of.
Arabella: You’re known for a talent. I’d like to be known for one! I suppose modelling is a talent. I want to use my platform to do bigger things in the industry. Modelling is completely second nature to me and I don’t even think about it, so I can take it for granted. Even on this shoot, Wes was asking to see the screen, but I’m so used to it all that I don’t need to.
Wes: That’s because you look good from every angle. It was the coolest shoot I’ve ever done!
Do you ever get jealous of the attention Wes gets from female fans, Arabella?
We are the least jealous people. We are so open and honest with each other. We have trust so it doesn’t even cross my mind.
Wes: That’s when you know it’s good. We’re both very used to attention. We don’t have any rules, apart from ‘don’t cheat’. When Arabella is out, I want her to have a good time. I don’t want her to be constantly calling and texting me because it’s her night to enjoy. I know she’d never do anything, and likewise with me.
Wes, what did you think of Dermot O’leary grilling your ex Laura Anderson about your relationship in the villa?
It was funny! Arabella laughed and I laughed. It wasn’t a bad moment. Nobody took any comments seriously. Laura and I dated for less than a month, and we were back to being mates literally days after we split. The show is very good at making things look really dramatic but it was never really that bad.
Arabella: You forget people that you dated in the villa. It’s not like a big ex in the real world. When we saw my Love Island ex Danny [Williams] recently, it was fine.
Would you both feel the same if you bumped into Megan? Wes: Me and Megan are completely civil. There is no bad blood. We don’t hate each other. We’re too mature for things like that.
Have you discussed the future? Arabella: I think it’s so bad to plan things. We’re just enjoying life with us two and our little dog Astro, and so we don’t want to change anything.
Wes: We’ve got so much pressure already, why add more? I like to live in the moment, and so does Arabella. ok! STOCKISTS: ASOS WWW.ASOS.COM; BOOHOOMAN WWW.BOOHOOMAN.COM; EGO EGO.CO.UK; H&M WWW2.HM.COM; HOUSE OF CB WWW.HOUSEOFCB.COM; FINIQUE WWW.FINIQUE.CO.UK; I SAW IT FIRST WWW.ISAWITFIRST.COM; RIVER ISLAND WWW. RIVERISLAND.COM; ZARA WWW.ZARA.COM
INTERVIEW BY TWITTER.COM/JOSIE_COPSON PHOTOGRAPHS BY SAM RILEY ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHS BY GETTY IMAGES, SYCO/ THAMES, SHUTTERSTOCK STYLING BY ELLIS RANSON HAIR AND MAKE-UP BY MIKEY PHILLIPS USING FENTY BEAUTY,TATTI LASHES, BOBBI BROWN, NARS, LAURA MERCIER, LIVING PROOF AND CLOUD NINE
‘it was the funniest date i’ve ever been on, and we haven’t stopped laughing since’