Coco Lodge today claimed Love Island’s producers forced her to wear a bikini against her will, leaving her feeling “humiliated”.
The former Islander, 28, told Web she’s battled bosses who insisted she couldn’t wear a bathing suit to perform, although she said she felt “uncomfortable” in the look they chose.
Joining the cast of 2022 as a Casa Amor bombshell, she was filmed in slow motion walking into the Spanish villa, ready to lure the boys away from their partners during the show’s dramatic test of loyalty.
Coco was mortified after producers told her to pursue Andrew Le Page, 27, who was dating his girlfriend Tasha Ghouri, 24, and they were intimate under the covers only to be rejected by the real estate agent as soon as the challenge was over.
Coco Lodge today claimed Love Island’s producers forced her to wear a bikini against her will, leaving her feeling “humiliated”.
Coco told Web she’s battled bosses who insisted she couldn’t wear a bathing suit for her performance, although she said she felt uncomfortable in the look they chose
In scenes that never aired on the ITV2 show, Coco sobbed after Andrew kissed her breasts and then tried to reduce the sexual act to “I licked her breast or whatever”, leading to the standout quote from the series became.
Producers ordered Coco to be a “bad b****” and not a “sad b****” and teased her until she confronted Andrew, in a move she said was meant to create more drama , although in reality they suffered a “meltdown”.
Coco explained: “When you first come into isolation, you have to take photos in three options.
“I wanted to wear this orange swimsuit that flattered my body. They decided that I should wear a bikini, so I went back and forth with them because I wasn’t feeling well.
Joining the 2022 cast as a Casa Amor bombshell, she was filmed in slow motion as she headed to the Spanish villa to lure the boys away from their partners
Coco was mortified after producers told her to go after Andrew and they were intimate under the sheets only to be turned down by the real estate agent when Tasha returned
“They said they didn’t want anyone in swimsuits, and they wanted us all in bikinis. They made me wear a bikini and when I got there one of the other girls was wearing a bathing suit so I was like… They told me I couldn’t and I really don’t feel comfortable wearing a bikini.
“I knew there would be slow motion cameras and I’m sorry, we don’t all have perfect bodies. I really wanted to feel good just for that moment when I walked in. You put yourself under a lot of pressure and they made me wear a bikini… I was humiliated.
For the first time since her Love Island appearance, which saw Coco the victim of a horrific trolling, she has revealed producers have told her to pursue a romantic connection with Andrew, even though he is linked to Tasha.
Coco was attracted to Davide Sanclimenti but turned her attention to Andrew after being lured into the idea by bosses.
She ended up developing genuine feelings for Andrew, their chemistry undeniable as they kissed passionately in the villa’s pool.
For the first time since her appearance on Love Island, where Coco was the victim of trolling, she has revealed producers told her to pursue a romance with Andrew
She said: “It was implied to me that I shouldn’t go to Davide and ‘explore’ Andrew. I didn’t feel like I wanted to do it, but it was the way they put it.
“Casa Amor is essentially a giant game to stay in, and you don’t want to go home, you want to stay in bed with someone.
“There’s already a lot of pressure, so when they said that to me, I thought, ‘I have to do it because I want to stay.’ “He wasn’t my first choice at all. They knew what they were doing. I felt manipulated and didn’t realize it until I came out of the villa and saw how things were going.”
When Andrew and Tasha later rekindled their romance, leaving Coco vulnerable, not only in competition as a “single” islander, but after feeling used, producers told her to stop crying and fight back.
Andrew was filmed downplaying his intimacy with Coco, telling his girlfriend Tasha he “sucked her tits or whatever,” who was shocked to learn the extent of their affair
She said: “With the whole ‘tits’ thing… I was so excited. I felt screwed and before I went to the mansion I had just gotten out of this horrible relationship that had destroyed my self esteem.
“It was a trauma reaction of how upset I was. I cried a lot and they kept taking me to talk to me. I hadn’t eaten in two days and they said to me “You don’t have to be a sad b**** anymore, you have to be a bad b****”, that’s what the producer kept saying to me. “You don’t have to be a sad b**** anymore, you have to be a bad b**** and tell everyone exactly what Andrew did.”
“You see me getting angrier and angrier throughout the episode because they were pushing me to say something.
“The producers hyped me up for being this ‘bad b****’ and said that on the outside everyone was on my side, so I really thought I was loved by the public, but actually everyone already saw me as that villain, so they were trying to flow into that narrative.
“You never saw me burst into tears, you just saw me so cheeky b****, ‘Yeah he sucked my tit’ but the reality is I literally had a breakdown. “
Coco was attracted to Davide Sanclimenti, who won the series with Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu, but turned her attention to Andrew after being lured into the idea by bosses
It’s not easy being a Casa Amor bomb.
To become a full-fledged performer, you must break up one of the couples who have already spent weeks bonding and sharing a bed.
Coco says she felt like an “extra” in the story of the main islanders and insists that any dating hopefuls recruited for the gruesome series twist “got the short straw”.
She explained: “You have a worse experience as Casa Amor bomb compared to people in the original cast or regular bombs, your experience is so much worse.
“Coming out I’ve had a lot of great times and I’m happy with everything I’ve received, but when you compare – and this is one thing that people struggle with when they come out – yourself to the experiences of others to compare people.
“I don’t just mean silly things like followers and fame… the people who go in first have more time and are very popular with the public.
Coco says she felt like an “extra” in the story of the main islanders and insists all the dating hopefuls recruited for the gruesome series twist “got the short straw”.
“The public hates the bombs because they’re already connected to the other characters and you’re treated by the producers as an extra in someone else’s storyline.
“I was trolled to death but they didn’t give me a chance to go on a date or show my personality, so it was a lot worse for me when I came out.”
However, a source close to Love Island claimed the producers don’t choose what the contestants wear and the islanders make their own connections on the show.
“Islanders can wear whatever they want and we would never let anyone into the villa who is uncomfortable,” a TV insider told Web.
“Viewers watched as Andrew and Coco explored their bond and the contestants had to make their own decisions at the villa.”
An ITV spokesman said: “Icelanders are never told what to wear. The decisions they make and the connections they make belong to them and only them.’