‘Love Island: All-Stars’ Star Liv Hawkins on Marcel, Luca, and the Wildest Heart Rate Challenge Yet

If you thought leaving the Love Island: All-Stars villa meant leaving the drama behind for Olivia "Liv" Hawkins, you thought wrong. In an exclusive chat with Collider, Liv opened up about her dynamic with Marcel Somerville, her complicated history with Luca Bish, and why the Love Island experience still holds a special place in her heart.

Live and Marcel Had Undeniable Chemistry on 'Love Island: All-Stars'

One of the biggest questions on fans’ minds—what’s the deal with Liv and Marcel post-villa? According to Liv, while sparks flew inside the Love Island bubble, reality hit differently on the outside.

“Yeah, we spent the day together the other day,” she shared. “We’ve just kind of decided that we’re mutually probably gonna stay friends. It’s a shame, but I just think we didn’t have long enough in the villa to get a strong connection coming out into the world. It’s so different when you get out and just finding time to see each other. But we get on so well. We’re still speaking all the time, so it’d be a shame to lose that.”

So, is there still hope? “I think for now, we’re definitely more friendship,” she admitted.

The Location Made Everything Better

While Love Island: All-Stars was packed with familiar faces, one of the biggest stars of the season for Liv was the location itself. “I am in love with South Africa,” she gushed. “Last time, it was the back end of COVID, so I was locked away. We were only allowed out for an hour walk every day. So this time, I was adamant—I wanted to go to all of the main spots.”

Liv made the most of it. “We had fish and chips on Boulders Beach, we went to Camps Bay… we were doing everything,” she said. And in classic Love Island fashion, she even had a secret villa code name. “Everyone gets given code names, and everyone was like, ‘Who was Cartier?’ Because they couldn’t go out,” she laughed. “That was me.”

Liv and Luca's Relationship Was Made Complicated

Liv’s history with Luca Bish was one of the more layered dynamics of the season. Their pre-existing friendship outside of the villa, paired with public expectations, made things complicated from the jump. “It’s quite nice. We left, we had a conversation before I left and we’re, you know, we’re really good friends,” Liv revealed to Collider. “We live so close to each other. I know his family, so I think it was just maybe more of a sense of pressure from both ends as the public had put us together. We kind of knew each other from the outside, so I think both of us didn’t really want to take that leap in case we couldn’t, you know, go back to being friends.”

We’re not sure where that friendship stands now – especially after Liv stepped back in the villa alongside the other dumped islanders on the penultimate episode and revealed she’d seen some pretty damning texts allegedly from Bish’s current love, Grace Jackson saying she’d do “anything it took to win” this time around. Grace denied ever saying such a thing and was consoled by Luca, who promised he believed her.

In a recent episode of the SpillWithWill podcast Olivia defended herself after receiving tons of hate from fans online. She explained her actions, claiming that after she told producers of the show about the messages they wanted her to “say what I’ve seen.”

She got emotional about the experience, telling Will, “What I will say is, do people really think I would go on national television and lie about something so serious as that?” “The first time I went on Love Island, it was quite controversial when I came out, so I was used to that. Then when I went back on and, you know, dropped that tiny piece of information… tiny, tiny, just a bit of a grenade. Just a little bit.. I never wanted Grace to get any hate,” she added. “That wasn’t my intention. It was a show.”

After the episode where Liv mentioned the texts, Season 10 Love Islander Mitch Taylor commented about the exchange on Snapchat, asking people to send him Grace “receipts” which he also posted on the social media platform, but he later admitted that while he “got sent it loads” the messages were unverified.

Love Island: All-Stars host Maya Jama also spoke to both Liv and Grace at the show’s finale about the incident with both women stating they are very “straight talking” and Olivia standing by having seen receipts, while Grace insisted there were no such receipts. Jama concluded the exchange saying, “Guess you’ll have to sort it out online.”

Nearly three weeks later and it seems things are far from sorted. Liv may not have left All-Stars with a love match, but she did come out with friendships that she’s holding onto tightly.

“Definitely Catherine,” Liv said when asked which of the ladies she got closest to. “I’m obsessed with her, Ekin-Su, and Elma.” And speaking of Elma, Liv is one of her biggest cheerleaders, especially when it comes to her growing connection with Sammy Root.

“Elma is one of the funniest people I’ve ever met,” Liv gushed. “The things she comes out with, her one-liners are just impeccable. But yeah, her journey’s definitely been rocky. I’m glad that she managed to call it a day on her terms with Ronnie. I think that situation had definitely played its course, and Sammy came in at the perfect time.”

Elma and Sammy made it all the way to the finals, but fell short of taking home the win, but ultimately with Love Island, isn’t finding love a win in and of itself?

This Season Was Another Shot

Returning for All-Stars meant stepping back into the game with more experience and wisdom. For Liv, it was a chance to approach romance differently. “I think I learned to definitely wear my heart on my sleeve a bit more,” she said of her second stint in the villa. “The first time around, I was very picky. I didn’t give things a go, even if I wasn’t feeling it at the start. Whereas this time, I really gave my all. I tried to be more vulnerable, and even with Marcel, I tried not to overthink situations too much because I felt like the first time I did that quite a lot.”

And while some Islanders walked in with a calculated game plan, Liv doesn’t think this season was full of masterminds. “I wouldn’t say any of the cast this time round were necessarily shady,” she revealed. “Everyone’s going in a second time, aware of the cameras, so everyone, to an extent, is probably more on their A-game in that sense.”

But when it came to shocking villa moments, one event stood out. “Watching the heart rate challenge—I’d say it has to be up there with one of the best, most shocking heart rate challenges I’ve ever seen on Love Island to this date.” For Liv, one of the biggest takeaways from her Love Island experience—besides a killer tan and a reality TV fanbase—is the unexpected impact she’s had on people.

“I was at a football match the other day and I bumped into a load of fans, and you know, sometimes the industry can feel quite lonely,” she admitted. “But those are the moments that make it all worth it. I get messages from girls saying they look up to me, and it’s just quite incredible really, because when you’re on there, you just don’t really realize the magnitude of the show and how much of an impact it has on young people.”

That public attention, however, comes with pressure. But Liv’s got thick skin. “I’ve always been a very strong-minded person,” she said. “I’ve grown up doing musical theatre, so I’m very used to no’s and having thick skin. Especially after being on the show the first time and coming out to a bit of controversy, I think I’ve just accepted that people’s opinions are their opinions. That doesn’t necessarily mean that’s who I am.”

And this time around? The reception has been much warmer – at least before dropping that Grace bomb. “This time, people have definitely said they’ve seen a different side to me, which is nice—that they’ve finally got to know the real me,” Liv shared. “Coming out to a very different response was honestly so heartwarming.”

With Love Island often leading to post-show romance, Liv revealed whether anyone has made a move since she left the villa. “I actually haven’t,” she admitted. “I’ve had, like, famous radio presenters from the UK show love, but no one of interest, should we say?”

For now, it seems Liv is focused on enjoying life post-All-Stars and taking things as they come. “Love Island definitely gives you more opportunities than you would have previously,” she acknowledged. “For me, I definitely was ready to find someone, but it is hard when you’re in there and you don’t really know people’s intentions. It’s not until you come out that you can really have that conversation.”

So, while Love Island: All-Stars may not have delivered Liv her perfect match, one thing’s for sure—her journey isn’t over yet. And with a fanbase still rooting for her, she just might find that fairytale ending after all.