EXCLUSIVE: Toni Laites On What REALLY Happened In Love Island, BEEF With Olivia & Moving To The UK!

10:07Toni Laites:I think crazier stuff happened in Miami. Really? Yeah. Like the hotel that I worked at, it was the same hotel in both states. Okay, so that same chain. Yeah. Well, it's not even a chain. There's one in Miami. It's been open since 1954. You know Live Nightclub? Yeah. It's that hotel. Oh, fuck. Of course. So like that hotel. Every time I go into that hotel,

10:28Olivia Attwood:I'm like in that reception, that like lobby, and I can't even fucking see trying to get down the steps.

10:32Toni Laites:It's known for that. It's known for like being a celebrity hotspot. It's known for being party. They most recently opened the one in Vegas. It's only been open for about two years now. Got you. So I was like the original staff at Vegas. Okay. Crazier shit happened in Miami. I would walk into the cabana and there'd be people sitting on faces. Fuck. Yeah, like celebrities are constantly at the hotel. Vegas was just catching on. Got you. It's a brand new hotel.

10:57Olivia Attwood:Well, that's why I was thinking I feel like I'm like a Vegas regular at this point. I was thinking, I can't imagine where the Fountain Blue is.

11:02Toni Laites:It's the biggest, tallest blue building. They've been building it for 15 years. It's all the way at the end by the wind. Fine. Next time you go, you have to stay there. Well, now I will know. No, I'm Stan. Really? There's like 36 restaurants, a nightclub, a dayclub, the regular pool with like seven pools. Yeah. Wow. It's beautiful. They just got Michelin rated, the whole hotel. Who's the most famous person you've ever waited on? I've met all of them. Athletes, rappers, like the doctors from Botched.

11:31Olivia Attwood:Oh my God, like Terry DeBrowse. Yes.

11:33Toni Laites:Like Cardi B and her whole entire family. Offset was there Amber Rose was there like it was everybody

11:40Olivia Attwood:who's who's like which genre of people is like the best tippers like athletes garbage men what people in regular jobs seriously celebrities don't tip oh wait expand because that's

11:53Toni Laites:they don't that's so gross they want everything for free fair and like I think hard working like garbage men who have saved up for this trip

12:03Olivia Attwood:yeah like

12:04Toni Laites:they worked for it they understand what it's like because yeah Yeah, my job was glamorous, but at the same time, I'm standing outside in a bikini in a million degree heat on my feet for 10 hours. And that heat is no joke. Dealing with drunk assholes all day. Yeah. So there's like a certain type of person that appreciates the work you're in without just, well, they're kind of creepy too. Yeah, yeah. They tip really well. What's the biggest tip you ever got? Probably like two grand from the garbage men.

12:32Olivia Attwood:I'm obsessed. did you was it quite hard to like set your boundaries because i'm sure because you're gorgeous i'm sure there was so many fucking men that would be like you know trying to chat you up like how do you navigate that and it's like you were like young as well you're busy like i was

12:48Toni Laites:really really good at what i did i trained everyone on the staff i was probably known as having like the most sales at both properties so like i was focused yeah and like if you don't have cash in my face i'm not really going to give you the time of day unfortunately you have to like manage your time the same way you do at any other job yeah you know who's a bullshitter so if you're standing

13:08Olivia Attwood:around just chatting shit with someone when you could be like you say selling a bottle to another

13:11Toni Laites:table exactly it's a waste of your time yeah did you ever meet anyone nice when you're doing it you actually were like yeah i'll go on a date with you no we would usually just party yeah god it's

13:21Olivia Attwood:like making me just like we're gonna go to vegas this summer for my birthday my sister's been on my case all morning. I was like, just talking about it. Okay, let's talk about Love Island then. As we touched on, so you were like a bombshell but an original day one lineup. What was your like first impression, first 24 hours in the villa? What was going through your head? That was fucking awful.

13:40Toni Laites:That whole first week

13:41Olivia Attwood:was awful. It's pretty, you feel like, I felt like I was in a weird dream. I mean, when I woke up and I was like, the fuck am I?

13:49Toni Laites:This is just so weird. You're very like disassociated. Yeah. And I think for the first time in my life, I felt like no one liked me. Like I didn't fit in. I've never felt like that. No, I bet. But like, A, I came in on the first day, stole Ben. Luckily, Shakira was very understanding about that. Yeah. But then it obviously didn't work out with him by like day two. So I was like, what am I doing here? I really wasn't interested in anyone else.

14:15Olivia Attwood:And I think when you, like the first day of Love Island, when you're not interested in anyone, I was trying to explain to someone the other day, you start to panic a little bit because you're like, the whole point of this is to couple up with someone and even though it's so early days you feel very vulnerable and also it's hard to like pretend I know people like oh you just pretend it's that's easier said than done I I can't really do that with a guy I think it was

14:36Toni Laites:easier to be myself yeah I don't want to pretend no I caused hell and havoc in that villa like just because I was being myself you didn't take any shit no you were like you became popular

14:49Olivia Attwood:And I think you had an arc where people were sussing you out, like this American girl, who is she? And then you had a couple of clapbacks where I think people were like, okay, she's fucking cool. She doesn't take any shit. You weren't a bitch with it. You just very much stood your ground. And do you feel like you kind of earned the respect of your fellow islanders by being like that?

15:10Toni Laites:No, I don't think they really ever respected me until it was the end. Do you not? Really not? No, I think one of the hardest parts about it was none of those boys would even give an American a chance. Why do you think that is? I don't know. It really surprised me, especially because I was so set on the fact that I would move here. Yeah. But no one believed me. Right. Nobody believed me. I'm like, then what the hell am I doing here?

15:31Olivia Attwood:So they thought you'll come into this show, get your like couple of minutes and you're going to fuck off. Yeah. So what's the point?

15:36Toni Laites:There was many times where first public vote, I was in the bottom. Yaz came in, said I was bullshit for saying I would move here. Like Tommy said I was there for fame.

15:46Olivia Attwood:I now I fucking hate when people say that because it's like what we all like that's what I said that's literally what I said I'm like go on fucking bumble then if you don't want to be honestly fuck off like it's so redundant yeah it was just like a whole culmination of things I even read things now like on reddit they thought I was a paid actor or a mall sent in by production to like basically sort of like just report back and like fuck with the plot and everything. You went from Ben to Connor, Connor to Harrison. What was it about Harrison? So I was like, guys, if you're listening to this and not watching, there was a little wince.

16:24Olivia Attwood:What was it that kind of attracted you to Harrison?

16:27Toni Laites:I think it really was just like the American aspect of things. We went to the same college. Did you really? Yeah.

16:33Olivia Attwood:That's crazy. So it's just like a bit of like a familiarity. Like I feel like I know something. and then it was Helena who jumped in and broke that one up what's um what was your feelings of Helena at the time because she had a mixed reception I think Helena's a very smart girl

16:52Toni Laites:oh really I do like she may make some silly decisions but she knows what she's doing she does and like I don't hate the girl no it's love island but like I think she was also very lost during that time with Harry and she was doing, I guess, what she had to. Yeah. I don't hold a grudge against a girl. I literally don't give a fuck.

17:18Olivia Attwood:And obviously she's back on All Stars now. It feels like she's like continuing a very similar arc, almost like that's what people online are saying. Have you watched any?

17:27Toni Laites:I've seen it.

17:27Olivia Attwood:What are your thoughts at this point of it so far?

17:31Toni Laites:I hope she learns her lesson. I really wish her the best. like everyone deserves to find love yeah it's not just me no this would you if you were single

17:41Olivia Attwood:would you go on hell no not even the hesitation no why it was hard in there yeah like for me

17:51Toni Laites:personally i'm an only child i've never had to share anything so that is you're going in the fucking deep end when you're like fighting over hair straighteners with like 10 other girls i I would hide things away in my drawers. Like, I'm sorry, I'm not sharing my lip liner. I'm not that kind of girl. I don't like when people wear my clothes. Oh my God, I'm obsessed with this honesty. Like, sleeping in a bedroom with that many people was crazy. During CASA, there was people sleeping outside.

18:16Olivia Attwood:There is a point, if you do the whole run, there is a point when it's just, there's too many fucking people there. There's too many fucking people. And also in my series, I don't know if you can tell me what it was like in your series, everyone was sexually active. No. So you're in this small fucking room where people are having sex like a meter away from you. I remember it was the light of the night thinking, I can't do this. I can just hear things that no one should hear. Because I think our series was that series where people were having sex a lot and no one gave a shit. And so, yeah. I think people know now that that's probably not the right decision to make.

18:49Toni Laites:They probably just feel way too exposed.

18:51Olivia Attwood:That was my whole thought. I'm like, no. No, honestly, some couple, I'm not going to out people. I mean, people know who it was, but some couples in my series were at it like fucking rabbits. It was like, it was no secret. But I think, like you say, the culture's changed. And I think, then I think people come out and it's discussed. And I think we were under some naivety as well, I think, at that point about how much was being shown or how much was being discussed. And what we found out very quickly. So on Casa Amor is where you met Cash, which is, you know, finding love in the Casa Amor period is very rare.

19:23Olivia Attwood:because normally there's slim pickings. Normally I think I always say this, and this is like very controversial. I always feel like Casa and Rory is like normally more, the boys get a better time with it. Definitely. They had a whole extra day than us. Fuck, really? And I also like sometimes I feel like, I don't know. I remember when our Casa boys arrived, we were like, the fuck? We got a good group.

19:46Toni Laites:You got really good. Like I think there's a whole saying that we have is Casa boys on top. three Casa Boys made it to the final in our season. That's like fucking unheard of. Yeah, because we were sick of all the OGs.

19:58Olivia Attwood:You were like, get these fucking s*** out. We were like, we're going to push you out if we literally, last thing we do. So what attracted you to Cash? Was it instant vibe, connection?

20:09Toni Laites:I think obviously I was done with who I had been with before. And I don't know, there's this thing for me where I don't think of people if they're not in front of me.

20:17Olivia Attwood:Are you ADHD?

20:19Toni Laites:Not unsure.

20:22Olivia Attwood:undiagnosed. Yeah, I'm very similar. I need to see the person. So you kind of got in there and you were like, yeah, Harrison who?

20:29Toni Laites:Cash was my focus and I think I liked, he didn't pull one single person for a chat. Not one. I pulled him. Anyone that spoke to Cash during that first day, two days, they came to him.

20:42Olivia Attwood:And did that attract you? Because he was like kind of just sitting back. There was no desperation.

20:47Toni Laites:But he is. but it still is the same way now whereas like he's not friendly with other women besides me

20:54Olivia Attwood:and I love that yes I like that I can't bear like men that have time for everyone he has time for no one that is I know and so many people will just like hate on me for talking I've spoke this way before and people are like you're a freak but I'm like even if a girl's getting crushed by her dumbbells in the gym it's not your fucking business leave her let someone else fucking help her like That is always my start. Don't busy yourself with another female's issues. Just concentrate on me. So you hit it off. At that point, you, Yaz, and Shakira, you are already close, right? Yeah. What was it about those two girls and you guys have been, you know, kind of this unbreakable little threesome ever since that kind of drew you to each other?

21:39Olivia Attwood:We call ourselves the outcasts. Which I'm obsessed with. We were ostracized. And don't you have G-Shore tracksuits that are so cool? thanks Juicy so cool shout out Juicy Couture which I probably should have stocks in because when I was fucking 18 I had every single color and I wish I'd not got rid of them they're back they're so back they're back yeah you guys were the outcasts I mean yeah and there was I think we saw something in your series that we had never seen so obviously of such a divide of the girls like it really was you three and the others against the world and why do you think that was?

22:12Toni Laites:because we spoke up for ourselves yeah like Shakira and I friendship started because a I took Ben from her and then she had to find someone else to couple up with or have someone step forward for her because she was single because I stole Ben then none of the girls like Shakira because she was going after who they were with but she had to yeah it was like survival of the fittest at that point and then Yaz came in doing Yaz things and honestly her and I didn't get along at first I went off on her the second she got in there for calling me bullshit but then it also became the same the other girls didn't like her I don't think anyone deserves to feel alone in there no it's very lonely yeah and we just all came together and it thankfully worked out for us but like we didn't know that the public would receive it so well when you're in a villa with 15 20 people who don't like you you start to believe why would

23:08Olivia Attwood:anyone else you know what I mean 100 % so you definitely didn't you didn't have any inkling that the public were getting behind you guys in such a way. Hell no. The first public vote, Shakira and I were at the bottom. Isn't that mad that you went on to win? When did it start to feel real that you're like, oh my God, I'm going to see this thing all the way to the end?

23:27Toni Laites:I think when Maya announced at the end during LI Fest who the two favorite girls were, it was Yaz and I. And were you like, did it shock you? I was like, what the fuck? Like, really? Because, again, the first public vote, bottom. Yeah. Not in the middle, bottom. And then, like, I obviously knew what happened between Cash would not help my public image whatsoever. But I did show a lot of remorse. Like, I fucked him over. Okay, okay. He said it was one of the most embarrassing moments of his life. I made him cry on television. Wait, in what circumstance? When I chose Harrison in a recoupling. Sorry, yes.

24:09Olivia Attwood:And then he, you thought there was no coming back from that?

24:12Toni Laites:I thought there was absolutely no coming back from that, but I showed a lot of vulnerability and remorse in that situation because I felt awful. Why did you choose Harrison in that recoupling? I think I was a stupid girl who made a similar decision to what I would have made in the past when I maybe didn't have so much respect for myself. I think every girl has gone through this. We always go through the guide that we shouldn't. Yeah.

24:38Olivia Attwood:And I did it. But do you know what I think about you and I think that why you were so popular and why you went on to win and why I like you and I think it's why you make a good TV star is that people that can fuck up but narrate their mistakes, I think that's when people can relate to you because it's like, it's okay actually to make the wrong decision if you can like actually tell that story to the viewers and bring them in. It's quite a skill to like go into the beach out and like tell people your thought process and like really like kind of lay it bare and then I think that humanizes you and people go, okay, yeah, she made a fucking she made a mistake and then you get a redemption yeah we all do but i think for some people that's really difficult and i think that's when they they don't have a redemption arc because people are like they don't they can't understand their thought process did you ever think

25:24Toni Laites:that you would be still with cash now yeah i did really when did you what part in the show so you

25:32Olivia Attwood:do you do recouple you obviously go on to win when did you like start to feel like fuck i these are serious feelings. These aren't just like Love Island feelings. It's like...

25:41Toni Laites:He told me he loved me the night before the final. Off camera, by the way, because there's no filming the day before the final, obviously.

25:50Olivia Attwood:It's like this really weird down day, isn't it? Where you kind of feel like you're like humans out in the wild together. Yeah, but they're still listening. They're listening.

25:57Toni Laites:There's still microphones in the bed. Yeah. You still have your mic on.

26:00Olivia Attwood:They're still listening to all your conversations. So they can just keep sure they keep a check on the story like that nothing drastically changes.

26:05Toni Laites:but it feels a little bit more like you're kind of kind of normal yeah and what was the reaction to that i mean that's huge i haven't heard that in so long so it was crazy to me i haven't had a man tell me they loved me in forever it was it was literally a shock i mean it's a nice thing to hear i wasn't expecting it no i'm sure and it meant even more because i knew the cameras weren't

26:30Olivia Attwood:rolling so you knew it was like there's no way this is for like any hidden agenda or like trying to make a ditch for the final like it's like he this is how he meant it but I really think I've

26:41Toni Laites:told him this before too that like I truly fell in love with him after the show yeah when we were able to be normal because I think Cash is a lot more shy than people assume he is and I could tell that he wasn't being his full outgoing self on the show okay again it's hard there were days where we were all grumpy and tired and we didn't want to do it anymore by the end yeah so then after leaving he was literally my rock like moving here I could not have done without him it's such a like you feel

27:14Olivia Attwood:like you've been thrown out of the frying pan into the fire when you leave love island it's like a whirlwind how important was that having him like kind of by your side for all that no it would not have been possible without him really it's hard for everyone don't get me wrong

27:28Toni Laites:but at least you guys can go home. Yeah. I was in a hotel in Shepherd's Bush with nothing but my Love Island suitcase. And did you see any family? Did your family come out and see you? No. No, because I just told them, I'll be back, I'll be back. But like we were busy when we first got out with all of the press. You were just like really like out on your own. I had nothing but a suitcase full of bikinis. I'm so serious. For the fucking UK, that's going to be no good to you whatsoever. So like I was going to the mall every single day and buying an outfit.

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28:29Olivia Attwood:Hilton, for this day.

28:54Olivia Attwood:a little bit meh. I mean, think about it. Imagine writing a letter and waiting weeks for a reply versus getting left on read after three minutes on WhatsApp. Travelling days and nights to declare your love compared to a video call that takes seconds. And being fixed up by an old aunt? Can you imagine? Well, this Valentine's, if you want to bring back a bit of old school yearning, there's no better way than losing yourself in a beautiful, intoxicating, heart-wrenching love story on the big screen. Wuthering Heights is directed by Academy Award winning filmmaker Emerald Fresnel and stars Margot Robby and Jacob Elordi.

29:29Olivia Attwood:Plus features original songs from the brilliant Charlie XCX. Whether you're taking your other half or seeing it with your friends, get ready for laughter, tears and a lot of romance. Wuthering Heights is in cinemas on February the 13th so make sure you book your tickets now.

29:46Olivia Attwood:What's your relationship like now you guys oh I'm in love

29:50Toni Laites:I want to get married like tomorrow

29:51Olivia Attwood:no stop I'm serious do you think engagement's on the cards do you talk about it

29:57Toni Laites:I mean I don't want to be delusional I am but like not anytime soon he's younger than me how old is he he's going to be 25 in February I turn 26 in July

30:08Olivia Attwood:so you are young yeah but is this like different to any other relationship you've had

30:13Toni Laites:100 % I moved to a new country it's massive And like I've never spent so much time with a man. Come on, he must get on your nerves sometimes. I think I get on his more.

30:24Olivia Attwood:What is it like living together?

30:26Toni Laites:We actually don't. Oh, you don't? This has been reported a lot. Okay. It's my apartment.

30:31Olivia Attwood:Right. And then you just stay together a lot. Yeah.

30:34Toni Laites:Okay. Eventually it will happen, but he still lives with his brother and sister. And they're very close with each other. Yeah. I don't think he wants to leave them in the dust. That's fair. Yeah.

30:45Olivia Attwood:And also, I think it's quite nice, like you said, when you've just moved to a new country to like create your own roots. Yeah. Like you have a place that's yours. It's like one less layer of pressure. He's an incredible dancer. Yeah. He loves a dance battle. What do you think of this?

31:00Toni Laites:Oh, my God. I have a TikTok draft that I'm waiting to post. He was dancing when we were in Antigua on vacation. And I was recording him and I said men used to go to war. Now they TikTok dance battle. Does it ever give you the ick?

31:14Olivia Attwood:Oh, do you love it?

31:15Toni Laites:No, because he's good at it. If he sucked, it would be different.

31:19Olivia Attwood:That is so valid.

31:21Toni Laites:And I also respect the fact that he's been working at this for years. Yeah. He's been working on dancing and social media longer than I can even imagine.

31:30Olivia Attwood:What was your relationship with social media like before Love Island? Did you use it much? It wasn't.

31:34Toni Laites:It wasn't? I had 3 ,000 Instagram followers, and that's only because I've lived in so many different places, and I met people every day because of work. Yeah. I had no TikTok.

31:44Olivia Attwood:So how many TikTok followers and Instagram followers do you have now?

31:47Toni Laites:Over 800 ,000 on Instagram. I just hit 600 ,000 on TikTok.

31:51Olivia Attwood:Is that like, what was that learning curve of like managing that and like creating content? Were you like... I hate it. No, but that is so honest. Because I, do you know what? I've done like a bit of like an arc with it where I've fallen in love with it. But my God, when I first came out of Lover and I was like, I just, every time I opened it, I just wanted to like throw my phone. I was like, I just, I don't want to do with this. Like I never used to use Instagram in that way. because it can feel so like you feel so shackled by it like you have to post all the time it's like

32:20Toni Laites:it's through draining well there was like a lot of demand when i first got out yeah to like do all these things and go on podcasts and post on tiktok but like because i had my visa i wasn't doing any work right i couldn't post a minute long video on tiktok because if you made money in the country they won't approve your visa oh shit and like i didn't want to just come on the internet and explain all of that to people because you're also not really supposed to talk about the visa process okay so I was just in limbo this whole time like I had nowhere to live you can't get an apartment without a visa couldn't get a bank account couldn't work so posting for me in those first couple of months was really hard yeah I wasn't happy no of course I had a million and one things to figure out I was away from home I just didn't feel like myself I'm getting into it now where like I have things to do and things to post about but I don't know I'm not one of those people that has an easy time just recording themselves in their bedroom yeah I'll get there

33:19Olivia Attwood:you will and also I feel like whatever you're doing is working yeah it's like I think sometimes it's like we see people that do well on social media we think okay that's a blueprint let me try and copy it but actually the real art to it is finding your own like style but I mean you've got serious balls because that must have been there must have been some like dark days oh very dark days did you ever think about just like throwing the towel in and like going back to the

33:41Toni Laites:us no i'm not a quitter i'm not a quitter like there's a too many people relying on me counting on me rooting for me and i'm rooting for myself yeah like i'm not giving up now i've been like my team and i have been working our asses off to make sure that i am in a place where i can actually enjoy myself here yeah there's no giving up it's not an option and what's your relationship

34:07Olivia Attwood:with the uk like now now you've got your visa you've got your place we're getting there but i

34:12Toni Laites:also think the uk is very critical of everything okay a bit more judgmental than the us yeah in

34:20Olivia Attwood:america anything goes that's and especially i think where you lived like miami vegas like yeah you could do whatever you wanted it's london especially though yeah because i've lived north and south of this country and london is is like that's a hard place to like launch yourself like in the uk because people are people are miserable let's have it right everyone's pissed off everyone's cold everyone's sick of paying their council tax like yeah it's it's tough i think like you say to to maybe like find your tribe.

34:53Toni Laites:But I think at the same time, I was myself on the show. Yeah. And that's what people fell in love with. So I don't have to pretend to be something else now. That's where it would have been hard if I had to maintain some fake persona that I created on a TV show, but I don't. And that's where it goes wrong for a lot of people. Y 'all voted for me because it's me.

35:14Olivia Attwood:What you talk about M &S. Lunch and snacks. why do you call it that i don't know munching snacks like your nickname for it i didn't know it was marks and spencers what what's like snacks in the u.s or the uk i'm not much of a snacker are you not no you see it's weird is it because when i'm working in the states i'm like oh my god everything's better like they have plastic straws oh my god the plastic straws ice with your drink like you know fountain soda like you know like good snacks like so i think i think the u.s trumps on that one like good like crisp flavors all the sweets still have like poison in them like i want the poison i don't want my sweets without e-numbers i want them like how they're meant to be some good stuff here though i don't want like vegan percy pigs i like squashers squashies oh the little like they're like pink and white yeah they're good i like those what about food

36:14Toni Laites:like in the uk what is your favorite kind of food probably like italian yeah pizza pasta but you can

36:21Olivia Attwood:get good stuff here yeah british food's a no for me though but i mean at this point as a british person what even is it like it is it when we're notoriously known for having bad yeah food do you know what it is as well as like I was just in Germany and it's like even things you know going through the airport you know like in other European countries like grabbing a sandwich or a salad they just have so many fresh options and then you go back to England it's like you look in a you trying to get something quick on the go and everything just looks like it's been set out for a meal deal yeah like everything looks sweaty and I'm like why like the Germans can throw together like a bread roll with some ham and cheese and it's like fresh tastes good what's so hard about that i don't know for some reason we really struggle with like food on the go and also in i like in the states like so many options like a good salad to go again here we've got a couple of places but they're normally same i didn't order like extra moisture like what they did not put that on my like notes on my room yeah it rained in your salad we touched it briefly but let's talk about what you guys were known as the big three in the villa we didn't call ourselves that no that's fair you called yourselves the outcast you yaz and shakira and i mean god you you've been iconic as a trio like sorry id magazine like what the fuck i was gagged like what the fuck we had no idea what in what sense like what that would even mean it's like this like a cultural reset it's

37:56Toni Laites:like a big fucking fashion magazine it was like one of the first press opportunities that we were offered they contacted itv we're like sure whatever but we had no idea it was so funny because that shoot was literally in like a warehouse on a digicam and i think it has almost 30 million

38:12Olivia Attwood:views on instagram everything they do is so edgy so when you when you're there you're probably thinking what the fuck i'm like okay sure it's much more black on because they went they got they did you guys very grunge yeah which is like i think it suits all of you so well You guys are still so close. Yeah. What is it that's kept you bonded, three of you?

38:32Toni Laites:A shared experience. Yeah. I think you can attest to this. You have no idea what it's like to be in that villa unless you've done it before. Yeah. People can tell you stories, this, that, and the third. You literally never know what it feels like until you've done it. It's so true. And we finished together. Yeah. Day one to the end. Every single experience was the three of us. when we were arguing with boys, when we were single, when we were on the verge of being dumped, when we were arguing with girls. It was Shakira, your husband, and I. What's some of your favorite memories you've made since leaving the villa?

39:05Toni Laites:What kind of things have you done together? I think ID was sick. Honestly, just being able to work with my friends in general. Did you go to Vegas together? Shakira and I did with Nick's. So that was awesome. Yeah. I want to take them on our own time. Like when you can do your own schedule. You can't be crazy on a brand trip. Babe.

39:22Olivia Attwood:so why do you think I don't get invited on the list one I can't I can never fucking go but I remember Georgia Harrison and I went on a brand trip with this shows how much I cared because I can't remember the fucking brand to Ibiza like two years after two years after Love Island and we missed like a whole day of activity that shouldn't be a brand trip destination just saying literally we came in from being at high it was like 7am and all the girls were like fully glam come take a picture

39:51Toni Laites:Yeah, they were having their matcha.

39:53Olivia Attwood:And I was like, what the fuck? They were looking at us like, what the fuck? And I was like, what the fuck? I was like, actually, you're sticking to the schedule. And they're like, yeah. And I was like, I've got a completely wrong idea of what this is. Yeah, so brand chips are fun. But yeah, they're pretty full on schedule. Yes, work. Well, that's what I learned. So you have to do work. But it must have been quite nice going back, though, even in some way. Yeah, it was. And with your friends.

40:16Toni Laites:Shakira got to meet my friends. That's nice. We got to have a bit of a Vegas experience, especially it was F1. Yes, that's so cool. So that's really cool. That's so cool. But like I want to take them back. And do it. On our own time. Or even Miami too. What? Do you went to Paris together? Yeah, we just went to Paris together. On the Eurostar?

40:34Olivia Attwood:We've been doing shoots together all the time. Have you ever had bickers between the three of you? Are you like sisters? Do you bicker or is it more like...

40:41Toni Laites:Me and Yaz clash sometimes. We both have a sharp mouth. But like an argument worth not getting over? No. like just it's like it's stupid yeah it's not a real argument it's like a sister argument we are just all very different as well we come from different places i think we we speak differently that's really i'm sure yeah maybe have different beliefs but like that's what makes it special as well because we could have a dilemma or we could be deciding something business-wise and we all have a different opinion to bring. We all balance each other out.

41:18Olivia Attwood:Yes, that's nice. And also like navigating friendships that are born in like such an unnatural environment. And then you're kind of thrust into this unnatural world. And like you say, there's a lot at play there. So like, it's like fair play to you guys for sort of keeping that bond and like looking after it.

41:39Toni Laites:I think we all have a lot of respect for each other.

41:41Olivia Attwood:Yeah.

41:41Toni Laites:We know how hard it was in there. We know how hard it is now we if people are being mean to us online we go straight to the group chat and bitch about

41:49Olivia Attwood:it there it's like a safe space how do you cope with online negativity i feel like everyone fucking loves you but like there's always someone there's still some hate i need to stop reading comments okay it's an addiction i always like talking to my guests about this because i notoriously try and stay out of the comments because i've found it's a bit better way to cope but a lot of my guests i I had GK Barry on the other week, and she was saying she's deep in the comments. She'll drive herself crazy reading them. I do.

42:17Toni Laites:I don't know what's wrong with me.

42:18Olivia Attwood:Why I can't stop. It's kind of like, I guess it's a bit addictive, isn't it? Yeah. You know it's not helping you, but you almost can't help yourself.

42:26Toni Laites:Everyone cares what other people think about them, whether they want to admit that or not. Yeah. And I could say, oh, I don't give a fuck about anything, but I still care deep down. I want to know what people are saying. Yeah. Whether posts are being received well or there's criticism. But I think, like, the only comments that bother me are things that, like, you would believe about yourself. You can't call me ugly. Because you know it's not true. I'm not ugly. But, like, it's when people attack your relationship. Yeah. I hate that. Yeah. It hurts. And it almost makes you start to second-guess yourself.

43:01Toni Laites:But, like, I don't know. Eventually I'll stop reading them.

43:05Olivia Attwood:but I think as long as you like you say if you can read them and separate and people people are just unhappy and so I think there's just a lot of there's a lot of hatred online but I kind of feel sometimes I have this weird thing and I feel like your personality is quite similar to mine sometimes when I read something quite like venomous I think you are like really worked up and I almost kind of get a kick out of it I think you like you woke up this morning and my picture pissed you off and that It kind of makes me happy.

43:32Toni Laites:And they're probably sitting in a basement somewhere.

43:35Olivia Attwood:Yeah. Just like rotting away. And also I think that you, because you're like East Coast, really. It's like you have, I think that's as well what you adapt to the UK well. It's like sarcastic, sharp sense of humor. Sometimes it's like there'll be something clipped up from this show or like one of my radio shows. And I get in the comments, I'm like, oh my God, like you guys, can you not hear sarcasm? Like it's screaming through the screen. This is not like news night. I'm not like giving out like step by step do what I say it's like it's a fucking joke yeah calm the fuck down people don't get it everything's so literal like they want to take things so literally what would be your advice for someone who's relocating to a new country I mean you did it in very strange circumstances like but a lot of people in their 20s and 30s like they take that jump and they go I'm gonna go and live in a new city how did what's like kind of your key takeaways on coping with that.

44:30Toni Laites:Literally just do it.

44:32Olivia Attwood:Just go for it.

44:33Toni Laites:Yeah. And like, know that you can without a lot of help. Yeah. Like I've started over so many times. I started over from going from Connecticut to Miami. Then Miami to Vegas. Like, I did not know a single person in Las Vegas before moving there. And that can be a lonely city. Yeah, it is. But like, remain yourself and the self that you know and you're proud of and then people will follow. Yeah. I made friends so quickly in Vegas. I made friends quickly in Miami. Like, it will just, it will come together eventually. It may take time. This move took time.

45:10Olivia Attwood:But you're in that era now where it's like, you said, being patient is paid off. Yeah. And you've kind of broken the back of it now.

45:18Toni Laites:I'm not a patient person. What star sign are you? A cancer. Okay, yeah. But like, this one was all worth it.

45:27Olivia Attwood:Yeah.

45:28Toni Laites:I really had to slow down and do nothing for a while because I had no choice you were limited that must have been the hardest part actually yeah it made me sick every single day I just felt like lazy

45:37Olivia Attwood:yeah because also you obviously are you've got such a work ethic you're used to like working these fast-paced environments working fucking hard so that must have been very strange

45:47Toni Laites:it was also hard to see everyone else around me doing things

45:50Olivia Attwood:and you'll know you're restricted I can't do this I can't do that yeah we've got a little game here that the team have created because you've obviously, you've experienced chaos in both sides of the Atlantic. So we want to do a villa or Vegas, right? So it's a little quick fire. I'll give you the thing and then you tell me whether it's villa or Vegas. Where do they have bigger egos? Villa.

46:17Olivia Attwood:Than Las Vegas.

46:19Toni Laites:Yeah. I've never seen such big egos in my entire life. fake friendships both yeah I want to say I made great friends in Vegas yeah

46:32Olivia Attwood:I can see that to be honest I saw fake friendships in my series almost more than fake relationships hard to graft Vegas yeah everyone's like from the minute the plane touches down people are just grafting yeah they're there to shag and gamble and get out of there well this one is someone whoever wrote this one, producer, does not know the pain of the villa because it says worst hangovers. Vegas. Get the IV ready for me. Those hangovers in Vegas are different. And also, In Love Island, how many drinks do you get in your series? One, maybe two. Oh, my God. It's even worse. I think we were allowed three.

47:15Toni Laites:We would be banging on the door, please give us the second drink, please.

47:19Olivia Attwood:And they used to basically kind of decide on the second drink, depending on how everyone's behaving. Yeah, as if you were like behaving sort of unruly, they'd have to like contain us. More flirting. Vegas. Yeah. It was my job. To flirt with people. Yeah. Get them to buy the biggest bottle. Drama. Villa. Yeah. Rules. Villa. So many rules. So many rules. so like it's such a nice reference because obviously i think i was the only one boy in my series who'd been to boarding school but that's what it's like you have a bedtime you have a getting up time you they tell you like you're getting ready now like dinner oh my god it's very restricted i said it was all-inclusive jail with sun yeah where did you feel more eyes on you

48:10Toni Laites:Vegas, because I don't think about it in the villa. After being there for eight weeks, you forget that anyone's even watching.

48:18Olivia Attwood:I know. It's scary, isn't it?

48:20Toni Laites:Where did you cry more? Oh, villa, for sure. For sure.

48:27Olivia Attwood:I wasn't crying in Vegas. I was having a blast. Did it surprise you how emotional you got in the villa at times?

48:34Toni Laites:No, I am quite an emotional person. But like in there, it's very easy to be set off. Yeah. Little things will get into your skin because you don't have a phone. Yeah. All you have to think about is what's happening that day with those people.

48:51Olivia Attwood:And I am someone that I realized how much I rely on my friends to talk me off the edge and bring me back down to earth for a second. And I realized like week one, I was like, I've got these girls I don't know. I don't trust you like who I want to call my best friend and like be like you can't it makes you feel like you're going a bit mad it's fucking brutal go to the beach hut and have a good cry but crying was an issue for me I remember like they I think they wanted me to cry like sooner because to show that I was like human but I have a hard time crying in front of people but then once you start it's like you kind of can't stop so you've got your visa you've got your apartment what is on the cards of 2026?

49:34Olivia Attwood:What about TV? Are you ever enticed back in?

49:37Toni Laites:I'm waiting for the right opportunity. I've already turned a couple things down. A, because my life was in shambles and I didn't think it was the right time to go back on TV. I just want it to be something worth it. Yeah. Something I align with. I'm also doing very well in the public eye right now and certain shows can ruin that. Yeah. I want to keep this pace as we're going right now.

50:00Olivia Attwood:As in like if you go in and it goes wrong, it can, yeah, it's a risk. Because is there any shows that you would do further down the line that you've thought of? Traitors. Oh, you would be good on Celeb Traitors. That's a fucking great shout. You would be a force at that round table. That's a good one. I'm a celeb?

50:24Toni Laites:I think you would have to drag me by my hair. I think it would be entertaining. don't get me wrong but i can't imagine you're scared of much or you are i don't know i just watched it for the first time this year it's fucking brutal you put me in some sort of cage with bloody guts i'm gonna die no i think you're tougher than you giving yourself credit i think

50:47Olivia Attwood:the competitiveness would take over do you see yourself kind of here indefinitely is that a

50:55Toni Laites:really hard question to ask you it's winter right now so if you're asking winter me the answer is no because this fucking sucks yeah like i would avoid winter at all costs when i lived even in america but like right now this is where i need to be yeah i don't hate it it's just not forever

51:14Olivia Attwood:but you've moved a lot so why would you hedge your bets on i mean i've i moved a lot as a child but I've always lived here. And then people get all freaked out when they ask me an Instagram question. I go, maybe I'd move to New York. And they go, what? You're moving? I'm like, whoa. I'm like, I haven't said, I just say maybe. I don't like the idea of making a statement that I'm going to stay somewhere forever.

51:37Toni Laites:Yeah, because I don't know.

51:38Olivia Attwood:I see where it takes you. I've always switched it up. This has been an absolute joy. I've been a big fan of you since day one. and you are everything that I kind of hoped you would be. And, you know, I see why people fell in love with you. You're so engaging, charming, confident. Like, not to patronize you, but you are young still. You hold yourself. And I think you hold yourself this way because you've lived. Do you know what I mean? I'm sure. And I think there's like a lot of 25-year-olds who have like barely left their mom's front room. It's like you can feel your like life experience. It comes through.

52:13Olivia Attwood:Before I do let you go, though, we need your referral. Who should we put on the list for the house? Who should be sitting in the seat? Tana Mongeau. That's a great one. All the team just went, yeah, we're going to have to go. I want a finder's fee. Yeah, you want a booking fee. That's a great one. And who should we ban? My mother. Not a beat was taken. Why? Tell me. Have you seen her TikTok?

52:44Toni Laites:talk no but i will be looking now she has almost 200 000 followers the microphone needs to be taken

52:51Olivia Attwood:away i have sorry i now i i can i can i have seen them but that makes me think that she would be

52:59Toni Laites:great oh she would be on the next flight out if you asked her but that's why i'm saying no

53:02Olivia Attwood:why would you what kind of things would you tell us about you oh my god anything

53:06Toni Laites:she doesn't know when to stop her love island debriefs have me on the edge of my seat every day and i text her i'm like please stop talking about that person no mums on instagram are

53:17Olivia Attwood:dangerous my mom was recently i found i found her i came across it in the because i didn't follow this fucking page when uh strictly was on and amber davies in my series on it my mom just like loves amber like a second daughter my mom's in the comments on the bbc page being like amber should have got a 10 this is this girl i was like right stop right fucking now because What happens is they recognise the last name and then they come for me. They come for you. I'm like, just get the fuck out the comments. Or sometimes she'll do a bit of Love Island commentary when new series are on. I'm like, oh my God.

53:48Olivia Attwood:Okay, so we're aligned on that. It's been an absolute joy and I'm honoured to have been your first podcast. Thank you for having me. Tony, everyone. Woo!

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