Alex has had a vasectomy, so no more kids for us, Olivia Bowen on motherhood after loss & leaving ‘scary’ UK for Spain

March 14, 2026

WE’RE celebrating Mother’s Day with gorgeous mum Olivia Bowen and her adorable kids.

In our exclusive chat, the reality star talks motherhood, body confidence, what she thinks of skinny jabs and life 10 years after Love Island.

WHAT a difference 12 months makes. Last year, Olivia Bowen posed on the cover of Fabulous magazine at four months pregnant to share the heartbreaking news that she had been expecting twins, but had miscarried one baby at eight weeks.

Now, having given birth last August to her surviving twin baby, the 32 year old is all smiles as she cuddles her six-month-old daughter Siena alongside her big brother Abel, three.

“I think about last year, and now it’s so different,” says the Love Island runner-up, who has been married to Alex Bowen, 34 – who she coupled up with on the show – for seven years.

“Siena was in my belly and now she’s here with Abel. It’s all a lot happier. Yes, it’s chaotic with two children – I’ve got sick on my clothes, there’s been wees, and sweets thrown everywhere, but it’s so nice.”

Reflecting on opening up to raise awareness of vanishing twin syndrome, she says: “Speaking about what happened and allowing myself to be really emotional helped me deal with it. It was like therapy. I spoke to so many women who had been through similar things, as well as some amazing charities. Now, I feel at peace with what happened.”

But she admits that the baby she lost is never far from her mind.

I had a bad haemorrhage during Siena’s birth. It was a close call

“Sometimes, when I’m in Siena’s room, I look around and think: ‘At one point, I was preparing this to be a room for two.’ It is a weird feeling. I look at Siena and know I’m going to have to tell her at some stage. How do I deal with that? Obviously, I don’t have to cross that bridge for a while. And I’m in a good place now.”

Usually, new mums find they are stressed with their first child and more relaxed with their second as they know what to expect. But because of what Olivia had been through, this wasn’t the case – especially as she experienced a traumatic labour with Siena.

“I had a really bad haemorrhage during the birth,” she explains. “It was a close call, so it was very scary for both of us. I think those things have made me a bit more anxious as a mum. I don’t think I was like this with Abel – I remember being more laid-back. But if Siena’s got the smallest of snotty noses or a bit of a cough, I’m Googling it as I get so nervous.

“I’ve just started weaning her, and I’m scared when I give her food as I worry about her choking. It’s all these things – if there is something to worry about, then I’ll worry about it.”

Despite her anxiety, Olivia is also trying to savour every moment with her baby girl, especially as she has ruled out having any more kids.

“I’m trying to enjoy it, as we are done having children,” she says adamantly.

“We are absolutely done. Alex had a vasectomy the other day, so no more kids for us. There were a lot of reasons – personal ones, environmental ones, external ones, but ultimately we just feel complete now. We’re lucky enough to have two and I think what happened with Siena’s twin made me think: ‘I just can’t do that again.’”

And what is it like being a family of four now?

“Going from zero to one child was really hard for us, because it was such a lifestyle change,” she says. “We went from partying at events, going out all the time in different countries, constantly working, to having a child who fully relies on you. You have to be selfless.

“But going from one child to two, it was like: ‘Well, we’re already in the chaos, so what’s adding another one?’” she laughs. “It is more difficult, because you never have your hands free, you’ve always got one of them. We did struggle at the start, but we are finding our feet now. There are hard days, but then you look at them and think: ‘Oh my god, they are so cute.’

Olivia adds: “At the start, Abel struggled a bit, but then after about a month, he realised: ‘This girl isn’t going anywhere’. He’s quite sensitive, so we knew we had to handle it carefully. We made sure he was getting attention and lots of one-on-one time.

“Alex and him have been having dad-son days, too, which has really helped. And now, seeing both kids together, Abel absolutely adores Siena, and she idolises him. She doesn’t laugh very much, except when she sees her brother. She’s got a very calm aura about her. They are like chalk and cheese, but they complement each other.”

Whereas Olivia stopped breastfeeding Abel at three months, she’s still going with Siena after learning to trust her instinct as a mum more.

“It’s funny, because I always say you have to listen to your baby. The first time around, I would not have done that. I didn’t trust myself at all,” she says. “I was always looking for validation, whether it was on Google or social media or whatever. I’d always looked for advice and never really followed my own instinct. But with Siena, I’ve been so different – I’ve just listened to her and myself.

“Plus, with your first, obviously you have all the first smiles, the first laughs. And then you have the lasts, when you know it’s your last baby, and it’s so bittersweet. I do feel like I don’t want to give up [breastfeeding] too soon. It feels sad that I will never do it again.”

Our relationship is so much stronger this time than it was with Abel

For her first Mother’s Day as a mum of two, Olivia is hoping for something that pretty much every mum can relate to – some time to herself!

“Alex will get me cards and presents,” she says. “I’m sure he’ll come up with a little breakfast or something with the kids. I might get a free hour or something for a massage. I’d like that. ‘It’s Mother’s Day, spend it with your kids!’ No, actually I’d quite like to go get a massage by myself!” she laughs.

Of course, as any parent with young kids will tell you, it’s not always easy to carve out time with your other half, and Olivia admits it’s been a struggle.

“We had a cute date night at a Japanese restaurant recently – we hadn’t been out together since before I was pregnant,” she says. “Getting the grandparents to look after one kid is one thing, but getting them to look after two, that’s a different story completely, so we haven’t had much time for each other. But, weirdly, our relationship is so much stronger this time around than it was with Abel.

“I feel like we were really learning the ropes to being parents with Abel, whereas now we both know what’s expected of us. Now we’ve both got a kid, it feels like everyone is pulling their weight – it feels a lot more equal in our marriage.”

‘SCARY AND HEAVY’

From social media to knife crime, raising children in 2026 is no walk in the park, and Olivia says she and Alex have been thinking hard about where they want to settle as a family.

“It’s not even just daughters, I’m scared to raise a son, too,” Olivia says.

”You want to do everything right, and you’re worried that the smallest thing you do is going to mess them up or give them an issue.

“It feels scary and heavy to be a parent in the UK. We are talking about moving to Spain because it just feels like we want to escape somewhere and have a different life for them. Abel loves being outside and wants to do so many activities.

“That lifestyle makes sense for us. We’re building a house in Alicante, but we’re going to look at schools in Marbella. Abel is to start school in September, but we’re thinking about deferring him until January and then trying to spend as much time in Spain, getting him used to it, looking at schools, and then he can go in January. We might have to sell the house we’ve built in Spain to go somewhere else.

“We’d want to keep a house here, too, as my career is here and, of course, our friends and family, but we’ve spoken about it a lot. It feels like the right decision. Although we can’t speak Spanish, so we would have to learn. I’ve downloaded Duolingo!”

I’m finally not chasing being skinny, but being healthy, strong and fit.

Of course, Spain has a special place in Olivia and Alex’s heart, as that is where they first met when they appeared on series two of Love Island, which is filmed in Mallorca. Now, they’re the show’s longest-lasting relationship.

“In June, it’s 10 years since we met – I feel so old,” says Olivia, who is marking the milestone with the release of her first book, Lost Until Love: Learning To Find Myself Again.

“I’ve never felt ready to do it before, but now with the anniversary, it felt like the right time. It’s all about my journey from childhood to Love Island and then after. It explores not only the love I’ve found with Alex, but the love that I found within myself and all the lessons I’ve been through, plus some little bits and bobs that I’ve never shared before.”

Anyone who watched Olivia on the 2016 series will know she struggled massively with trust issues, as well as body-confidence.

“There’s a lot I’ve been through I’ve just never talked about before. But I hope it will help other women love themselves and their lives,” she says.
There’s no denying Olivia looks incredible – and it’s largely thanks, she says, to ditching sugar and booze.

“It’s not forever,” she explains. “I want to be fit and healthy again. Through my pregnancy I didn’t work out at all, mainly because I was just anxious and felt quite depressed for a lot of it. It was difficult to get the momentum to do it so I’ve lost a lot of muscle.

“Now, I horse-ride and I love the gym. It’s an outlet. The only hour I get in the day on my own is at the gym. I actually had a couple of beers last night, so I’ve not given up completely.”

Of course, there is a lot of pressure on new mums to snap back to their pre-pregnancy body, and Olivia admits she hasn’t been immune.

“I’ve always been conscious [of my body], and I don’t know if that’s because I’m in the public eye or it’s just naturally how we’ve been brought up. I feel like being a teenage girl in the 2000s was really difficult. There are a lot of body standards that are ingrained in me, so I feel like I’m always chasing something. However, I’m finally at the point where I’m not chasing being skinny, but being healthy, strong and fit. I want to be able to chase after my kids. I want to be that mum that has energy all day.

“This isn’t for the way I look, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel pressure, especially because I’m in the public eye. Not that anyone has said anything to me. It’s just that I feel like it’s expected of me to look OK.”

And the rise of skinny jabs has added to the pressure, Olivia says. “Skinny is definitely back in. I have friends who have used the jabs and it’s been really good and helped their confidence, so I don’t want to bash people who really need it. But it is dangerous that we are seeing people use it for a quick fix. It’s frustrating that women are constantly being told that their bodies are a trend – I don’t feel like men get the same thing.

“I’ve just got to the point where I’m grateful for what I have, rather than how I look. I always say to Alex: ‘I don’t know where we would be without our kids.’

“I always feel like my children saved me because they gave me such purpose. I didn’t have that before – it sounds silly, but like a zest for life. You really appreciate time when you see how quickly it goes with kids.”