Olivia Attwood has opened up on her “unexpected” romance with radio co-host Pete Wicks.
Attwood, who rose to fame as a contestant on the third series of Love Island in 2017, recently confirmed she was dating Wicks, with whom she presents the Kiss FM radio show The Sunday Roast.
She was previously engaged to footballer Bradley Dack, and they were reported to have married in June 2023; the marriage was not legally binding, though, as the hotel where their wedding was held was not a licensed wedding venue.
Attwood and Dack announced they had separated early this year, with Attwood, 35, confirming in June that she was now dating Wicks, 37.
Speaking in a new interview with The Times, she revealed: “It was unexpected, we went from platonic to non-platonic very quickly. He’s extremely intelligent and compassionate and patient, all the things I desperately needed but didn’t know I needed.
Suggesting that there were concerns over the speed at which her new relationship was moving, Attwood continued: “Is something amazing happening while I’m still processing something awful? Yes. People are telling me to be single, to go on dates. But if I shut things down with Pete I’d only be dating people to find the connection I have with him.”
Speaking about her desire to have children, she added that she would want them with “the right person”.
“But I could also see it not being part of my story,” she said. “I’m at peace with that. You can’t have everything. So many parts of my life have worked out so much better than I could ever imagine.”
Wicks is another celebrity with a background in reality TV, having risen to fame on the popular reality series The Only Way is Essex.
Attwood previously addressed her new partner in an interview with Cosmopolitan magazine.
“Once he knew I was separated, he made his feelings known, and it all happened quite quickly,” Attwood said earlier this month.
“It’s the easiest thing I’ve ever done. We’re both in this era where we just want peace and to enjoy life. Personality-wise, I’ve never had a straight man who can go toe-to-toe with me on banter – he is the only one who can keep up.”
“We tick a lot of the boxes that are really important in adult relationships.”
