20-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Love Island star says he'd rather watch his children on very different TV show
Alex Bowen appeared on the second series of Love Island back in 2016 and has since gone on to marry his co-star Olivia Buckland but joked he wouldn't want his children to follow in his footsteps
Alex Bowen has opened up about the prospect of his future children following in his footsteps on Love Island.
Nearly 10 years have passed since Alex, a former scaffolder, made his bombshell entrance into the renowned villa in 2016.
He swiftly struck up a romance with Olivia Bowen, and the couple have since married and are eagerly awaiting the arrival of their second child.
Reflecting on how he landed a spot on the second series of the ITV2 dating show, Alex disclosed: "I didn't apply for it. They messaged me when I was scaffolding one day."
He continued, recalling the moment that changed his life: "It was really raining and they'd messaged me a few times and I was thinking 'I'm going to message them back'.", reports OK!.
Alex shared the support he received at the time: "I went for my interview and I told my boss and he was kind of laughing it off and he said 'you'll always have your job back here'."
He also mentioned the encouragement from his loved ones: "I told my mum and friends and they said 'you've got to do it' so I just kind of went for it."
Interestingly, Alex admitted to his lack of prior knowledge about the show: "I didn't watch the show before going in so I went in there blind because it wasn't as big as it is now."
The love story between Alex and Olivia saw them finish as runners-up, and they exchanged vows in 2018, an event captured for their TLC series titled Olivia and Alex: Happily Ever After.
The pair welcomed their son Abel in 2022 and are now expecting a daughter this summer.
When quizzed about his reaction to the idea of his kids following in his and Olivia's reality TV footsteps, Alex Bowen humorously responded: "I dunno, can't they go on something else like The Chase or something? They can go on another programme."
He continued, acknowledging the dilemma: "It's a difficult one because I went on it so I'd be a hypocrite if I didn't allow them but then it depends on what the show will be like I guess."
For those not in the know, The Chase is a popular ITV quiz show where contestants team up to take on the Chaser, a formidable quiz expert, with the aim of winning a cash prize.
