Love Island star Alex Bowen has revealed his deep insecurities about his appearance, admitting he sometimes struggles with body image issues.
The 33-year-old, who shot to fame in 2016 as a bombshell contestant on the hit reality show, confessed that despite his muscular physique, he often feels dissatisfied with how he looks.
The former Islander, who found love on the show with now-wife Olivia Bowen, opened up exclusively to New! about his battle with self-confidence, explaining that he even resorts to wearing a vest under his T-shirt if he feels too slim. “No one is ever happy,” he admitted. “I go to the gym because I always hate the way I look. Sometimes, if I haven’t been to the gym for a while, I’ll wear a vest under my T-shirt because I feel too slim. So I try to help lads that go through that stuff as well.”
The revelation comes as a surprise to fans who have admired Alex for his sculpted physique and dedication to fitness. But his candid confession highlights the pressures that come with being in the public eye, particularly for men in the spotlight. His struggles with body image are one of the reasons he launched his fitness coaching business, Pure 45, which aims to help other men dealing with similar issues.
Alex’s fitness journey has been a major focus since leaving Love Island, and his passion for the gym is something he takes seriously. However, by speaking out, he hopes to encourage other men to be open about their own battles with confidence and self-perception.
The reality star, who is expecting his second child with Olivia, has also faced online trolling over the years, something that has only added to his insecurities. “It’s difficult. There are nasty people in this world. Give them a phone, they can say whatever they want and you can’t control it,” he said. Despite this, he remains focused on his family and fitness goals, using his platform to promote mental and physical well-being.
This comes after Alex and Olivia recently revealed the heartbreaking news that Olivia was pregnant with twins but unfortunately lost one. Olivia sadly struggles postnatally after a traumatic and long birth that saw her needing to have an episiotomy. She revealed they were in no rush to have another child but in November, they decided they were ready to try again while on holiday in Dubai. Just three weeks later, Olivia found out she was pregnant.
They decided to book an early scan at six weeks, where they discovered they were expecting twins. The doctor told the couple one baby was “slightly bigger” but that it was “normal and they look good”. Olivia admitted she never considered she could have twins and was “totally flabbergasted” by the news.
They couldn’t contain their excitement and told their family and friends on Christmas Eve that they were expecting to soon become a family of five. Two weeks later, Olivia and Alex went for another scan to check the smaller baby was growing. However, they were blindsided by devastating news.
“As we looked at the screen, you could see that one baby was so much bigger than the other. And then the sonographer told us that the smaller baby had no heartbeat,” she emotionally told the Sun. “I just didn’t believe it. I sat there thinking: ‘No, it’s going to come back.’ And what made me more upset was seeing Alex’s face, because he had been so positive.”
Olivia recalled how Alex became “so quiet” while she felt “numb”. She had devastatingly experienced vanishing twin syndrome. Olivia didn’t bleed or need an operation as the embryo was absorbed back into her body. “Knowing that the baby was still inside me was hard, though I had a scan two days ago and they told me it’s just gone. I felt relieved, but then I felt immediately guilty,” she said.
The TV star admitted she is struggling to deal with grief while she is still carrying a healthy baby. Olivia sank into deep depression following the heartbreaking loss and found it hard to carry on her daily life. Therapy has helped Olivia cope with the grief and she also wanted to speak publicly to help others.
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