ExCLUSIVE: Love Island star Shaughna Phillips has revealed details about her experiences as a mother and the heartache she experienced while living in the villa.
Love Island favourite Shaughna Phillips opened up about her unforgettable time on the show, her journey through heartbreak and self-discovery in Casa Amor, and how life has changed since leaving the villa.
Shaughna Phillips made a lasting impression during her time on the winter 2020 series of Love Island, quickly becoming a fan favourite thanks to her dry wit, self-awareness, and raw honesty. Speaking to The Mirror exclusively on behalf of Betboo, Shaughna opened up about the emotional rollercoaster of her time in the villa, the fallout of Casa Amor with Callum Jones, and her transformation from reality star to mother – all in her trademark no-nonsense style.
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Reflecting on the time before she entered the South African villa, Shaughna admits she didn’t fully trust her instincts. “Don’t settle for no one,” she says now. “I was 25 when I went in. I don’t know whether I had it in my head that if you’re with someone for the longest, you’re going to stay in there for the longest. But you just feel that if you’re not in a couple, you’re not safe. I wish I trusted my gut more.”
It was that lack of trust in herself that would be tested to the limit in the show’s infamous twist – Casa Amor. Shaughna, who had been coupled up with Callum Jones, was left devastated when he returned from the boys’ retreat with new bombshell Molly Smith on his arm.
She recalls the scenes that later became the Love Island legend, saying, “I think it was portrayed exactly as it transpired.” Because I was so fervent, I just wish it had happened a different way. No one could have been sent in, which is unfortunate. I would have switched if Channing Tatum had been sent for me, but I thought it was preferable to be loyal and be mugged off than to recover and appear doughnut if he had returned single.
Callum continued to use her weapons despite her belief that she wouldn’t be reunited with him alone. She admits, “I always believed he was going to come back with someone.” I should have partnered with someone and hedged my bets, not to mention that I wasn’t going to let that thought influence my judgment.
Girls, she now has a warning for upcoming islanders: “Hedge your bets, girls, do not settle.”
Although Shaughna claims that the reality is very different in the background, Love Island may appear bliss in the sun. “I worked that villa more than I did there,” she said. The hours are exhausting. She reveals that the situation is not all glamorous. You have only one eyelash on your legs and a producer is shouting “20 minutes left.” The getting-ready situation is simply uninteresting.
And don’t forget to play poolside. It could be three or four o’clock in the morning, even when you’re getting ready. You can barely keep your eyes open because you’re so exhausted,” she says. You’re like begging these people to stop talking to you about certain topics, and there are still people who need to talk about them.
She even recalls using a fake drink to avoid conversation. There was a time when I genuinely acted drunk because I was exhausted and needed assistance going to bed because I was completely delirious.
Since her Love Island journey, life has taken a new direction. Shaughna is now a mum to daughter Lucia, and recently revealed that she’s expecting her second child. She shared that her first pregnancy came as a surprise. “I wasn’t trying. I wasn’t on any contraception… it just happened way quicker than I was expecting, so it was such a shock,” she said. “I think I literally went through my contact list and just called every single person.”
She made a more in-depth reveal this time around. “I immediately told Billy,” I said. I immediately told my mother and my two best friends, and then I told them, “Hey, I need to keep my mouth shut,” I thought.
Shaughna admits to being a little less than a surprise-taver. I just have the biggest mouth,” I say. That’s the problem I have. Both positive and negative aspects exist.
Many people have speculated that Shaughna took the Ozempics, something she vehemently denies.
Everyone else’s business is completely separate from their own, she says, “Whatever way anyone wants to lose weight] is their own business.” You shouldn’t just assume that someone has jabbed it, though. However, it’s difficult when you categorically state that you are lying to others.
She adds that health, not appearance, was the cause of her transformation. Walking upstairs, I was out of breath because that’s just not how I wanted to live.
Shaughna says the label of “body positivity” on the show occasionally feels limiting, despite her fame for doing so. I was kind of put into this category of being body positive when I left Love Island, but I believe that whenever I try to do something else, people comment on my body.
She claims to be content even before becoming a mother. I had no weight problem before I became pregnant. I was happy and confident after appearing on national television wearing a bikini.
When asked about the possibility of Love Island: All Stars, Shaughna responds without a second thought. She replies, “Yeah, if my situation were different, a hundred percent.” Even though I’ve spoken to a few people who have done it, they have said, “No, it’s as difficult, if not harder… ” I would really enjoy it.
She anticipates that the once-daily experience will be completely different. “I spent six or seven weeks there, and I believe it took me three or four weeks to adjust.” I would be aware of what to expect if I did it again.
The public, according to Shaughna, frequently has no idea what really happens in the villa, from washing clothes to being denied medication unless it is administered by a doctor, “We all had a laundry basket in our dressing rooms, which was filthy.”
“You’re sunbathing, people think, and you’re there and you’re just chilling out,” the statement goes. However, she remarks, “I promise it’s not all fun and games.” “It’s great, and don’t get me wrong, I would do it in a heartbeat if my situation were different, but it shocks the system,” I said.
Since Shaughna Phillips’ initial days in the Love Island villa, she has come a long way, from heartache to motherhood. One thing is unmistakable about her ability to live life on her own terms as she does so.
Shaughna is speaking in association with Betboo.
