Alex and Olivia Bowen are truly Love Island’s greatest success story. They may have finished series two as runners up, but since then the pair have gone from strength-to-strength – tying the knot in 2018 and welcoming their son Abel four years later. The secret to their success? Putting the work in.
Reflecting on a recent relationship overhaul, Olivia, 30, tells Closer, “We've really honed into our relationship at the moment, because we realised that everything was getting put before our relationship and it does take its toll. So we started putting the work in and just making sure we appreciate each other - we spoke a lot about our different love languages actually.
“Alex’s way of expressing his love is physical touch and mine is acts of service. Knowing what makes your partner happy helps you to love them in the way that they appreciate. It just makes such a difference. I know that Alex also loves giving gifts, but for me that's not a thing so he doesn't get the reaction that he hopes for - now he helps around the house a lot more and that means more to me.”
Olivia met Alex, 32, on Love Island in 2016 and the pair worked hard to continue their relationship in the outside world, navigating brand deals and their newfound fame. After moving in together just months after leaving the villa, Alex then proposed to Olivia on a holiday in New York at the end of that same year. After a two-year engagement, the pair eventually tied the knot in front of family and friends including fellow Islanders Kady McDermott and Gabby Allen.
They then welcomed their son Abel, one, in June 2022, in what Olivia has called a traumatic experience, describing in previous interviews how she had to have an episiotomy and haemorrhaged severely, losing nearly a litre of blood.
But despite the ordeal that she experienced, Olivia hasn’t been completely put off having a second child.
Speaking about the long-lasting impact of Abel’s birth, Olivia shares, “I think physically you're always going to be different down there. Nothing horrendous - I did actually heal really well, but I think mentally I always feel like I didn't do enough and I want to try and fix that.
“Alex and I sometimes talk about having another child, but I’m honestly scared to do it again. I feel quite conflicted about birthing and how it will go. It's a hard one and I feel for any woman that goes through it and it doesn't go the way that she had hoped. Abel’s birth really affected Alex too - he's such a sensitive soul – and he’s nervous about me going through that again.”
Open about the fact that it has taken her a long time to come to terms with her birthing experience - in fact she’s still not sure that she ever will – Olivia finds that horse riding is a great form of escape for her.
She explains, “I have my horse Dolly, and she really helps with my feelings of anxiety – I always find that my mood improves when I go for a ride, sometimes just because of the fresh air.”
Luckily Abel shares his mum’s passion for horse riding and it’s something that the pair have been able to spend quality time doing together.
“I rode briefly whilst I was pregnant and then Abel had met Dolly by three days old,” Olivia reveals. “He's been around horses from day dot really. He loves animals which makes my heart so happy because I'm a huge animal lover and adore my dogs, Winnie and Reggie, and obviously Dolly. His lack of fear does surprise me though, he gets on his little pony, who’s called Sausage, and clicks his tongue for her to go faster. Winnie and Reggie are so patient with him as well, even when he tries to sit on them!
“I grew up near where we live now and I love seeing Abel do all the things that I was lucky enough to do as a child. I loved growing up in the countryside, and I love my walks and my animals. I feel like it teaches Abel a sense of responsibility and to look after something other than himself which is a really great quality to have.”
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Daisy Hall is a News and Entertainment writer across Closer, heat, Grazia, Bella, Yours and Crime Monthly magazines.