Former Love Island star turned TV presenter Olivia Attwood has revealed a bad experience she suffered when she was interviewed by a BBC presenter about her show The Price of Perfection
Olivia Attwood has lifted the lid on a ‘horrible’ experience she suffered while being interviewed – after a BBC presenter made a cruel comment about her looks during the chat.
Love Island star turned TV presenter Olivia, 34, did not specifically name the presenter in question, but revealed details of the interview which appears to link to her chat with BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour host Emma Barnett. Olivia revealed the interview took place on a show that was meant to be ‘uplifting’ for women and revealed she appeared on the show alongside Jodie Comer, who she said greeted her warmly while the host of the programme didn’t get up to say goodbye to Olivia.
In January 2024, Olivia appeared on Woman’s Hour hosted by Emma to discuss the launch of her new TV documentary series Olivia Attwood: The Price of Perfection. During the interview, Emma was heard telling Olivia: “I think you look a bit older than 31”. Almost two years on, Olivia has spoken out about the interview, which she has branded as a “psychological assault”.
In the latest episode of her podcast, Olivia’s House, she was quizzed about the ‘top three w**kers’ she had met in her industry. She sighed and said: “People always ask this question and I understand it because I’d wanna know as well. I’ve been pretty lucky I’d have to say I’ve met people I’ve been slightly disappointed by.”
Olivia, who also opened up about her ‘really bad’ patch with husband Bradley Dack earlier this year, continued by recalling one particular interview, being careful not to name the host in question. She: “I saw something on Instagram the other day and it gave me a little PTSD trip down memory lane about something – I don’t think I’ve ever spoken about it before because I think I’ve been pretty lucky and also I’m really thick skinned as you guys know so it takes quite a lot for me to be ruffled – I’ve done GMB, I’ve been on with Piers Morgan.
“I’ve been on with people who are tough and given me… and I like an interviewer who is tough with me. But I had an experience for – I think it was the first series of the Price of Perfection I was promoting and I had an experience with a female host and it was really one of the worst experiences that I have probably had in an interview because I felt like she didn’t want me there. The question of… I don’t mind being put on the spot. I was meant to be promoting the documentary and everything I’ve learnt about the industry and she very much wanted to make it about me and what I looked like. She said, in her second question, she said, ‘So you, what have you had done’ and I was a bit like ‘woah’ and I’m open to it but that’s kind of not where… I wanted to talk about the cosmetic industry as a whole.
“And she was like, ‘can I say something to you” – this is live on air – she goes, ‘I don’t know what you’re trying to achieve but you look a lot older because of what you’ve done to yourself’. That was her second question. It felt very tonaly wrong for a show that is meant to be about a safe space for women and uplifting women and it was just a really horrible experience and it stayed with me for a while because, like I say, I’ve been on the spot, I’ve had tough interviews but when I left that studio I was like… I remember for 20 minutes I just sat in silence and I was like, ‘What actually happened’. My worst nightmares is for someone to be on one of my shows and to feel that way.”
However, Olivia revealed she was cheered up following the “15 minute psychological assault” by meeting actress Jodie Comer, who had also appeared on the same episode as Liv. “That was a bit of sweetness,” she said. “And this host had not got up to say goodbye to me but she got up to greet Jodie but it was probably in her ear shot so I thought, ‘Ok, well if I’m good enough for Jodie Comer I’m happy’.”
In the January 2024 interview on Woman’s Hour, Emma open by saying: “Can I start by asking, because you fronted this series and it’s a multi-part series, what treatments and surgeries you’ve had?“ Olivia answers the question, revealing she’s had two boobs and ‘several tweakments’.
Emma is then heard saying: “I’m going to say this as politely as I can, but I’m now known for mincing my words; I can see that you’ve had work in your face. Isn’t the point not to be able to see it?“ Elsewhere, Emma also asks: “Again, I don’t mean this disrespectfully, but because we live in this crazy world where there’s a look of how you look if you’ve had treatments and know this as well, the trend as well is this whole, ‘Don’t look like you’re really wearing makeup, don’t look like you’ve had things done. But we all know – because we’ve got a visual language between us when a face doesn’t look quite how it might have looked. You know, why don’t you stop?“ Olivia replied and insisted it “makes her feel good“ and she goes down the “correct paths“ when she has treatments.
Emma then says in the interview: “I think you look a bit older than 31,“ to which an astonished Olivia then says: “Thank you“ with an awkward laugh. Emma then says: “That’s going to sound… you know, you come across really mature. You don’t look old – in inverted commas, whatever that means – but you actually look… erm… because there’s now something associated with how people look, you definitely don’t look younger than 31 that’s what I’m saying, so what is that?“
Olivia responded: “I don’t think I’m trying to look younger than 31, I mean, I’m just…“ Emma interjected with: “Well you’re an incredibly beautiful woman…“ Olivia continued: “I’m just looking as a version of myself.“
