Olivia Attwood said her career as a grid girl in motorsport ‘saved her life’ as she reflected on her career after landing her most recent role as a presenter.
The 33-year-old TV personality, who rose to fame on ITV2’s Love Island in 2017, has been promoted from dating show contestant to TV presenter and recently landed a presenting job at ITV on a brand new dating series.
Now presenting documentaries, hosting her own podcast, So Wrong It’s Right, and a regular panellist on Loose Women, she’s come a long way since ‘living out of a suitcase’ when she worked for Monster Energy.
Olivia started her career as a 19-year-old girl, a job that “changed” everything, she says now.
In 2018, Formula 1 removed female grid participants as the motorsport, like darts, wanted to ban glamorous women because it did not fit in with their ‘brand values’.
Olivia Attwood has said her role as grid girl in motorsport ‘saved her life’ as she reflected on her career after landing her most recent role as a presenter
The 33-year-old TV personality who rose to fame on ITV2’s Love Island in 2017 began her career as a big-bottomed girl at the age of 19, a job she now admits changed ‘everything’
In an interview with The Sunday newspapershe explained, “That job saved my life. I traveled the world, it gave me discipline, I met some amazing people, so I would find it really sad to think that someone else wouldn’t have that opportunity.
‘Once I decided what I wanted to do, I focused on it relentlessly. Every decision I’ve made over the last five years has been about the bigger picture.
‘There’s always going to be someone prettier than you, smarter than you, whatever, but I can work harder than anyone.’
This year, Olivia landed a job as a presenter at ITV, where she will host a brand new dating series, MailOnline revealed in May.
The former Love Island star is currently filming the series in Greece. The series follows couples who experience relationship problems due to the bad behavior of men. Olivia helps them change their behavior.
In November, MailOnline revealed she had signed a six-figure contract to star in the series, which was predicted to be the biggest hit since Love Island.
A TV source revealed: ‘Olivia is over the moon. She never expected to be hosting her own dating series after taking part in Love Island.
‘She is working with a full cast and filming has already started in Greece. She is enjoying it immensely so far.’
She’s been promoted from dating show contestant to TV presenter and recently landed a presenting job at ITV as host of a brand new dating series (pictured on Love Island in 2017)
Now presenting documentaries, hosting her own podcast and a regular on Loose Women, she’s come a long way since her time at Monster Energy
They added: ‘It’s a dream come true for her and she can’t wait for viewers to fall in love with the format and hopefully enjoy watching the show as much as she enjoys filming it.’
Olivia confirmed the news on Instagram, writing: ‘Guys… I’ve been keeping a secret. BTS from my brand new ITV reality show, y’all aren’t ready for this (I actually don’t think so).
Olivia shared a number of behind-the-scenes photos from her first days of filming, complete with a camera crew and sunny shots of Greece.
The documentary maker, who married footballer Bradley Dack last year, rose to fame on Love Island in 2017 and continues to have successful TV roles.
From reality shows TOWIE and Celebs Go Dating to presenting her own documentary series Filthy Rich, Olivia has amassed her own fan base of 2.2 million.
Olivia developed her interviewing skills and launched her podcast this year, welcoming guests including Spice Girl Mel B, Rylan and her good friend Georgia Harrison, who had just left Love Island: All Stars.
In an interview with The Sunday Times she explained: ‘That job saved my life. I travelled the world, it gave me discipline, I met wonderful people’
This year, Olivia landed a job as a presenter at ITV as the host of a brand new dating series, MailOnline revealed in May.
She became the first former Islander to land a spot on ITV’s I’m A Celeb and jetted off to the Australian jungle in 2022.
Her experience was short-lived, as after 24 hours she had to leave the show for medical reasons and her insurance, leaving her with a ‘broken heart’.
Olivia was unable to return to camp after results of a routine medical test showed she had “dangerously low potassium levels.”
There was speculation last year that she could return to the series, but MailOnline confirmed that she would not be able to join the 2023 line-up due to her commitment to future TV projects, including filming her new reality series.