We asked Venus about the intense turns of events this season of Love Island has offered in the last couple of days. Let’s see if she is still the sweet and naive girl we met on day one or if she has some hidden depth that we still need to discovered.
You and Bobby seem to be stuck in a friendship couple. Do you think there could be more there, or are you ready to move on to someone else to try to find love?
I wouldn’t say ‘stuck’. It’s a decision we both made. I can only speak for myself, but I wouldn’t couple up with anyone just to try my luck. That’s why I know kissing Rocco was a mistake. And Bobby forgave me! At this point, something very big would need to happen for us to reconsider our friendship couple, since no one here caught our attention for us to have that talk. I’m very comfortable with him and I hope he feels the same way.
Considering that other people kissed too during the challenge, do you think the reaction to #roccogate was a little exaggerated?
I don’t think the reaction to #roccogate was exaggerated. Our kiss was very different from the others, we went behind our partners’ backs and got… A bit carried away. Feelings are feelings after all, if Sky reacted the way she did was because we hurt her.
What do you think of the other girls so far? Who do you think of as the strongest competition?
Obviously, you can’t connect with everyone in the same way, but I’ve made some good friends so far. I think we are all trying to figure out how to play the game while still being true to ourselves, but thruthfully I don’t even think I am in the competition [laughs]. Milly and Levi seem very smitten with each other, a bit excessive for me, but some couples are like that, right?
A cheeky viewer is asking for a friend, is Rocco really that good of a kisser?
[Laughs and blushes] Oh, those cheeky viewers! Well, I can’t lie, so I will tell you a secret: Rocco has good things going for him!
We’ve heard Sky and Bobby’s take on our very first summer scandal, #roccogate, but there are always two sides to each story and we can wait to find out what their partners have to say. We’ve here with us the Villa go-with-the-flow, nothing-dims-my-aura Casanova, Rocco.
Have you ever gone through something similar to #roccogate outside the villa? Did it go different in any way?
No, I’ve never experienced anything similar on the outside… although… oh yeah, there was that one time in Dubrovnik when I was supposed to be a wingman for a friend but the girl he liked ended up going home with me instead. Of course my friend was pissed — he’d been trying to go on a date with her for a while — but it’s not my fault if she couldn’t resist my charms [winks].
Do you think #roccogate would still have happened while coupled up with someone else?
It’s hard to tell to be honest because what happened with Venus wasn’t planned. But when your partner is asked to go on a date by two new guys your confidence get shaken a little, the changes of her head to be turn are much higher. I took my chat with Venus—during the welcome party—as a sign from the universe to explore my option, that maybe things with Sky weren’t meant to be.
You don’t seem like the type of person to regret things, but has #roccogate changed that?
Yes and no. I don’t regret the kiss—there’s nothing wrong in kissing a beautiful woman if there’s a spark there and you both want it. But I regret hurting Sky, her reaction made me realize that she did care about us as a couple, I thought she didn’t. I should have been more upfront with her about wanting to get to know other people.
If you get to stay in the Villa, will you want to change anything about how you play the game?
Uhm… not really. I’ve been me this whole time and I did what my heart and soul told me to do. And I’ll continue to listen to my inner self despite people judging me for being an unconventional man and playing the game.
We’ve had our first dumping since the brutal exit of the polarizing Clarice Figg. Today, we have a special guest whose time in the villa was unfortunately cut short by his other islanders. Offline, he’s been affectionately given the title of the villa’s “Golden Retriever”: it’s Henrik Åkerblom! Let’s see if he’s just as chipper now as he was when he first entered.
Unfortunately, your stay in the Villa was a short one. What are you going to miss the most? Would you say something changed for you?
[chuckles] Yeah, everyone keeps reminding me. I’m going to miss the people the most. Waking up to your friends and spending the entire day with them? You don’t really get that uninterrupted bonding time anywhere else in the world. And I don’t think anything’s changed for me, really. I’m still going to live without regrets and take things as they come. I’m nothing if not optimistic about the future [grins brightly].
Who will you meet up with after the show?
Lucas, without a doubt. We bonded immediately and we’ve already got trips planned out. Plus, I really got used to sharing a bed with him [smirks]! And I’m glad to have gotten voted off with Rocco because I knew from the start that we would get on really well. We’ve been spending a lot of time together since the dumping. A couple of crazy nights so far… that’ll have to be kept private for now [winks]. Venus and Bobby would be another one. They’re such an infectious bunch, and I can’t wait to catch up. Maybe without Rocco present though. Este, of course. I… don’t know how she’ll be leaving that villa, whether it’s with someone or not, but she’s not someone I imagine losing touch outside of all this. I just hope she feels the same.
Any idea who put you up for elimination? Or why you might have been voted for?
Here I thought the questions would be light! I mean, I’m not one to be fussed with the votes. Someone had to go home, and I refuse to blame the girls for making choices they didn’t ask to make. Maybe I’ll watch it back and see Este be the one voting me off? [wiggles eyebrows] You all would love that, wouldn’t you? Honestly, I think I might like her even more if she did [laughs].
Which of the current couples do you think are strong enough to make it to the finale?
Is there anyone solid at this point besides Levi and Milly? [pauses] No, I swear that wasn’t a slight at Este and Gary! But, if there’s a couple I’d like to see in the end… I mean, of course I’m rooting for my brother, Lucas. He’s had someone very special on his mind lately, and I’m hoping she starts to view him the same way.
What’s your favorite moment from your experience in the villa?
I—yeah, there’s a moment that sticks out in particular. [smirks to himself knowingly] I know what everyone is thinking, but I was going to say Mr. Love Island! Getting ready was a lot more fun than I thought it would be! You think RuPaul will have me as a guest in the next season? I’ll only go if Este does. She’s my drag mom, after all!
We asked Venus about the intense turns of events this season of Love Island has offered in the last couple of days. Let’s see if she is still the sweet and naive girl we met on day one or if she has some hidden depth that we still need to discovered.
You and Bobby seem to be stuck in a friendship couple. Do you think there could be more there, or are you ready to move on to someone else to try to find love?
I wouldn’t say ‘stuck’. It’s a decision we both made. I can only speak for myself, but I wouldn’t couple up with anyone just to try my luck. That’s why I know kissing Rocco was a mistake. And Bobby forgave me! At this point, something very big would need to happen for us to reconsider our friendship couple, since no one here caught our attention for us to have that talk. I’m very comfortable with him and I hope he feels the same way.
Considering that other people kissed too during the challenge, do you think the reaction to #roccogate was a little exaggerated?
I don’t think the reaction to #roccogate was exaggerated. Our kiss was very different from the others, we went behind our partners’ backs and got… A bit carried away. Feelings are feelings after all, if Sky reacted the way she did was because we hurt her.
What do you think of the other girls so far? Who do you think of as the strongest competition?
Obviously, you can’t connect with everyone in the same way, but I’ve made some good friends so far. I think we are all trying to figure out how to play the game while still being true to ourselves, but thruthfully I don’t even think I am in the competition [laughs]. Milly and Levi seem very smitten with each other, a bit excessive for me, but some couples are like that, right?
A cheeky viewer is asking for a friend, is Rocco really that good of a kisser?
[Laughs and blushes] Oh, those cheeky viewers! Well, I can’t lie, so I will tell you a secret: Rocco has good things going for him!
We’ve heard Sky and Bobby’s take on our very first summer scandal, #roccogate, but there are always two sides to each story and we can wait to find out what their partners have to say. We’ve here with us the Villa go-with-the-flow, nothing-dims-my-aura Casanova, Rocco.
Have you ever gone through something similar to #roccogate outside the villa? Did it go different in any way?
No, I’ve never experienced anything similar on the outside… although… oh yeah, there was that one time in Dubrovnik when I was supposed to be a wingman for a friend but the girl he liked ended up going home with me instead. Of course my friend was pissed — he’d been trying to go on a date with her for a while — but it’s not my fault if she couldn’t resist my charms [winks].
Do you think #roccogate would still have happened while coupled up with someone else?
It’s hard to tell to be honest because what happened with Venus wasn’t planned. But when your partner is asked to go on a date by two new guys your confidence get shaken a little, the changes of her head to be turn are much higher. I took my chat with Venus—during the welcome party—as a sign from the universe to explore my option, that maybe things with Sky weren’t meant to be.
You don’t seem like the type of person to regret things, but has #roccogate changed that?
Yes and no. I don’t regret the kiss—there’s nothing wrong in kissing a beautiful woman if there’s a spark there and you both want it. But I regret hurting Sky, her reaction made me realize that she did care about us as a couple, I thought she didn’t. I should have been more upfront with her about wanting to get to know other people.
If you get to stay in the Villa, will you want to change anything about how you play the game?
Uhm… not really. I’ve been me this whole time and I did what my heart and soul told me to do. And I’ll continue to listen to my inner self despite people judging me for being an unconventional man and playing the game.
In between chapters, we love sharing these little tidbits on what the Islanders are thinking. How do they find the experience of being on Love Island so far? And what do they actually think about the other Islanders? We have plenty of questions we want to ask them ourselves, but we’re always open to hear from everyone here too!
Below, you can see who’s coming up next with their confessions so you can send us and ask with a question for them if you feel like it. Additionally, you can see who’s already answered some questions and check out the answers in the links provided.
Drama, drama and more drama! It’s seems like our islanders can’t get enough… and after recent events, Sky might have one thing or two to get off her chest. Our viewers can’t wait to hear all about it!
Knowing what you know now about your previous couplings (Gary and Rocco), do you think you would’ve chosen a different boy at the beginning of your time in the villa?
In hindsight, I would have trusted my instincts and I would have picked Noah. We’d probably be in a friendship couple now but at least things would have been different, easier… [laughs] well if you can ignore the whole Clarice-Noah-Zane triangle. I don’t know if I could have handled the situation as gracefully as Zane did. Anyway, if I’m being honest, only one person has really caught my attention since I’ve been here, but we started off on the wrong foot and now I don’t know if I should give it another chance or if he actually deserves one.
After the Roccogate fiasco, how are you planning on getting back to the game? Any ideas of what to do now? What’s on your mind for the next few days?
I don’t really have a plan, and it makes me laugh to think that in order to find love you have to be so strategic, but maybe that’s why I’m in this mess in the first place [shrugs]. I want to enjoy my time here more, I’ve been constantly worried about something and this first week has drained me both mentally and emotionally…maybe I should just go full “bad b*tch” mode and stop giving a damn if I step on anyone’s toes, I tend to forget this is a game, but it’s clear more than one person is willing to play.
How secure are you feeling about your place in the Villa?
Not very. I try to keep a positive mindset, I know that getting this far is an accomplishment in itself, but you always want to see how far you can go, and being single puts me in a really tough position. Coming into the Villa I was sceptical about finding love—although deep down I kind of wished I was wrong—and seeing how things have gone so far it’s something that might not happen for me. I guess we’ll need to wait and see how long I’ll be able to stay.
What a day! Letting your guard down in the Villa seems to be the quickest way to get your feelings hurt or end up with a bruised ego. Bobby seems to have learned his lesson… or not? Let’s find out with these questions from the audience.
How has your impression of the other guys changed since day one?
I came here hoping to get along with the boys, but since we are being honest here, I have to admit they intimidated me quite a bit. Have you seen the kind of men who go on this show? I thought I would blend into the background, but everyone has turned out to be quite nice. Not all of us are friends, but we can live together… For the most part. We’ll have to see what happens next.
Since, for the most part, you and Venus have been in a friendship couple, has there been a moment where you thought about recoupling with someone else?
Oh, that’s an easy one! No, I haven’t thought about it. I’m comfortable with her and she had never said she wanted to recouple with someone else. Obviously, things aren’t the same now, and we need to talk about it, but I don’t see myself with any of the other islanders. I don’t think the other girls want me either [laughs], so I’m not pushing myself onto someone who isn’t interested… The future is a little uncertain for me, isn’t it?
How do you really feel about what happened between Venus and Rocco? Did you see it coming?
No, I didn’t. Maybe I shouldn’t trust blindly in here, but since Venus and I weren’t in a real couple, I thought she’d talked with me first. And Rocco? She could do so much better. It’s obviously an awkward position to be for me. I do feel betrayed precisely because our relationship didn’t have any romantic commitment. It was a place to be honest and that’s what hurts the most. But how mad can I really be? Venus didn’t owe me the same loyalty that Rocco owed to Sky. I thought we would be better at this, that’s all.
To the viewers, it’s quite obvious your chemistry and attraction for Venus, have you ever thought of telling her that you want something more than just a friendship? If so, why haven’t you?
Chemistry and attraction? Can’t two beautiful people just be friends? [laughs] I don’t want more than a friendship because she doesn’t want more than a friendship. If there’s anything on my side, it doesn’t matter. I won’t make myself a problem in here.
Since Clarice’s arrival, there has never been a dull moment. Keeping everyone on their toes, the bombshell has surprised the audience with her choice of partner, destabilizing the balance of the group. What Clarice thinks or what she will do next is hard to predict but maybe these questions can help us understand her better.
How did you feel when you knew you were coming in as a bombshell?
“I was… Excited of course. The bombshell always gets lots of extra attention, and I obviously don’t mind being in the spotlight. But I instantly assumed I wouldn’t get a very warm welcome from the girls. Why would I? I’m an instant threat to their place in the Villa, someone’s ticket home… That being said, they’re all nicer than I expected. Not that I trust any of them.”
How are you really feeling about your relationship with Noah so far?
“How I really feel? Honestly… I think we both have walls we’re reluctant to tear down. We’re both introverts, and there’s the knowledge that you’re pretty much always being watched. But I really want to see if something’s there. I’m not in love or anything, but it’s definitely a crush. At least on my side of things.”
Were you interested in somebody else, or was Noah always your first choice?
“I kept an open mind coming in, so I can say that a few people interested me. Rocco and Gary are keen and have the looks… I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t into one of the girls. But I think Noah was the best choice for me.”
We have Zane here with us today, ready to spill the tea on her first days in the Villa. To say that her beginning on Love Island has been full of twists and turns is an understatement and we can’t wait to find out more with these burning questions from the audience.
Do you think Noah and Clarice have a future together?
“I am not really sure to be honest, everything is possible here — or seems to me like it is. They do feel like exact opposites, in terms of their personality and I do feel like that could work in their favour. Although I think I would be a little disappointed if they turned out to be enjoying being with each other, more than I’d like to admit actually, but if that makes them happy in the long run… I think that’s what matters the most. Not my or anyone else’s opinion.”
So, who do you feel the strongest connection with so far, Levi or Noah?
“Uh… That’s- I- I don’t think it’s that easy for me. Noah is such a sweet and lovely person, and he is the one I feel the most comfortable with, between the boys. But I think we are both a bit confused about being here, also a bit about each other. And Levi… he seems to be really happy with Milly — I couldn’t simply just come between that… don’t think there is even a place for me to have a connection with him there.”
How did you feel when Milly stole Levi? Did you expect it?
“It was really unexpected in the moment but looking back, I guess it only made sense for it to happen. We could not not have drama in Love Island out of all places. I was and still am obviously very sad and disappointed about it happening, since it kind of also led me to being the first single girl and that hasn’t been very easy for me, to say the least.”
How are things between you and Milly now?
“Well, I think we still have a coldness between us that neither her or I try to get rid of. I am not really sure what she thinks of me but for me, she is intimidating. It would have been naive of me to think we would all be getting along but I guess I didn’t expect to be reminded of the fact that this is a competition so early on as I was. I think, as easily anxious as I am and as fearless and competitive as she is, this is the best way things can be between us.”
Hello, and welcome to the first instalment of Mirrored Hearts: Beach Hut Confessions! Today, we’ve got our very own Noah with us, to answer a few questions about his first days in the Villa… If you have any more questions yourselves for our usually so quiet librarian, feel free to send them our way and we’ll make sure they get to him.
What did you expect coming in to Love Island? Did you have some sort of plan or idea of what your stay would be?
“Hm, let me think for a moment. I wouldn’t say I had a plan or set expectations, but maybe an idea? Or a hope more like it. It feels naïve now, but I actually hoped I’d find love, and it’s early days still so who knows.”
What was your first thought when Clarice said your name?
“Good question, and I’m not sure what my first thought was… I think maybe I worried about Zane for a moment. I don’t know her that well yet, but she seems nice and kind, and I’d like her to stay. But I also know I wasn’t her first choice, and that we’d probably be nothing more than friends even though I’d be willing to give it a go maybe. So in that sense, I guess I also thought that I’d have to give Clarice a chance too. She’s new, which can’t be easy, and I’m looking forwards to getting to know her.”
Did you expect to be the first boy stolen by a bombshell so early in the game?
“No at all! I’m not sure how one could ever expect something like that to be honest. I mean, the other lads are all amazing and Clarice seems great – if a bit intimidating. I knew there was always a risk of course, but I went onto Love Island with no expectations really and that’s true for being stolen by a bombshell too.”
Since all this journey was your siblings idea, what do you reckon they think about your first days in the villa?
“I can see my brother rolling his eyes at me not being more proactive, but my sister would be more understanding. I think, maybe. Actually, probably not. I think they’re also arguing over which girl they think I ‘fit’ best with, as they have, uhm, very different ideas when it comes to that sort of thing… Actually, I think I could’ve done with their advice, as it’s only been a couple of days and I’m already a bit lost.”
