I was the most controversial Love Island star and it’s been so hard for me – there’s only so much hate I can take

LOVE Island star Olivia Hawkins revealed that life after the villa has been “hard” – saying there is “only so much hate she can take”.

The boxing ring girl – who became one of the show’s controversial stars – said she has struggled with the negative reaction she has received from the public.

But Olivia, 27, praised her strong support network who have helped her get through this difficult time.

Olivia exclusively told The Celeb Report: “I’ve got a lot of strong people around me, thankfully.

“It has been hard on me.

“There’s only so much I can take.”

Speaking about moving on from it all, she said: “I’ve got a lot of exciting things coming up.

“I haven’t stopped since leaving the villa. I can’t wait, I’m so grateful.”

After being booted off the ITV2 dating show last week she faced a public backlash stemming from hundreds of complaints to telly watchdog Ofcom about the women reducing the men to tears.

Olivia insisted that she is not the villain and has a big heart.

Discussing the scenes where the girls were — in the words of viewers — “cruel and manipulative” to the boys in the name of “sisterhood”, a trend dubbed “toxic femininity”, were misleading.

In an exclusive interview with The Celeb Report, Olivia said: “It was never about the girls bashing the boys.

“I had many times when I was in tears that wasn’t shown on TV. There were real emotions.

“Maybe it was a case of big personalities clashing, it was so intense and arguments are inevitable when we were in a confined space together 24 hours a day.

“But it was definitely not a case of toxic femininity.

“When people meet me they will see the real me, I’m definitely not a villain.

“Now I’m out of the villa I’m looking forward to people seeing my fun side and my big heart.

“I’m a genuinely lovely person.”

Olivia and Maxwell Samuda’s chances of making the final ended when they came bottom in a public vote.