Megan Barton-Hanson has admitted she has no regrets about having sex on Love Island.
The Essex native appeared on the hit dating show back in 2018, where she met her then-boyfriend Wes Nelson.
Ahead of the new season, which kicks off tonight, Megan recalled the judgement she faced for having sex on national television.
She told The Sun: “Men have it so easy. There is still so much stigma around women even saying they enjoy sex, let alone doing it on national TV.”
“I hope it doesn’t stop the girls there this year from living their life. Sex is a natural part of life. Yet we still see the stereotype in films that men love sex and women just do it for the husband on their birthday.”
“When Wes and I were interviewed afterwards, I would always be asked if I regretted having sex on TV and if my parents were embarrassed. They didn’t ask Wes. It’s as if people wanted me to be ashamed, but I’m not going to be.”
“I did think, ‘I’ve had sex with one person in the villa, maybe I shouldn’t have sex with someone else’. But my feelings for Wes were so genuine, I couldn’t spend every waking moment with him and not do it.”
Speaking about this year’s contestants, Megan said: “I hope they don’t hold back and just go out there and enjoy themselves. The rest of us can live through them because there’s not much chance of us getting a holiday.”
“I’m super-excited for it. I’ve just missed it so much. It’s part of everyone’s summer. From your nan to the married man who insists he only watches it because his wife has it on, everyone deep down secretly loves it.”
Megan encouraged the new Islanders to be true to themselves, even if it means stepping on other contestants shows.
She said: “Some people take the easy route and want to be liked by everyone. If there’s someone they fancy but that person is already in a couple, then instead of following their heart, they miss their chance because they don’t want to be seen as a bad person.”
“You’ve got to be a bit selfish. People had strong opinions about me because I went for what I wanted. I didn’t hold back. I kissed probably half the boys in the villa before I decided it was Wes I wanted to be with.”
“It’s not nice to read the comments afterwards. But if you’re getting with someone you can see yourself falling in love with, it’s irrelevant,” she added.
“You’re in that honeymoon stage, in your little bubble together and it matters less if you’re hated. It did with me, anyway.”
The brand new series of Love Island premieres tonight at 9pm on Virgin Media One.
