Former Love Island star Megan Barton Hanson has slammed speculation that show contestants ‘fake’ their romances for publicity.
The 25-year-old told New! magazine that her split from fellow reality star Wes Nelson “wouldn’t hurt this bad” if their relationship had been a ‘showmance.’
“I wish that was the case, because then it wouldn’t hurt this bad,” she told the publication. “Unfortunately it’s not true. I wish it was.
“My post break-up stress meant I lost a little bit of weight, but I’ve put it all back on,” she added.
Barton Hanson, who is set to strip off for charity in ITV’s The All New Monty: Who Bares Wins next month, said that she decided to “block” her ex on social media to help her move on from the relationship.
“For me the best thing was to block him on everything. I don’t want to see what he’s doing,” she said.
The couple parted ways in January after meeting on the ITV2 dating show last summer, announcing the news to fans in a statement that parodied Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin’s infamous “conscious uncoupling” message.
The pair joked that they were “parents first and foremost” to “one incredibly wonderful hamster” named Jon Snow, and asked “for his and our space and privacy to be respected at this difficult time.”
Shortly after the split, Barton Hanson hit out at the producers of Dancing On Ice, claiming that they had “deliberately” paired Nelson with Vanessa Bauer, “the hottest girl” in order to “stir things up.”
“The fact that the producers deliberately stirred things up by partnering Wes with the youngest, hottest girl annoyed me,” she told OK!
“Also the judges making comments like Jason [Gardiner] saying that Wes and Vanessa made a ‘lovely couple’ was frustrating.”
She also revealed that couple’s “ambitions and goals in life are very different,” and claimed that she “fought and fought and fought for Wes but he doesn’t love me back.”
