Former Love Island star Wes Nelson talks about his latest single and how much he’s changed over the past six years
EVE MACDONALD
Wes Nelson may be best known for his stint in the Love Island villa in 2018, but fast-forward six years and the star has another reason to keep him in the headlines – a No1 single in the Big Top 40!
“It’s bananas, I can’t believe it,” the star says of his latest track, Abracadabra– on which he collaborated with legendary singer and songwriter Craig David. “My life has changed so much since being on Love Island.”
On the ITV2 dating show, the 25-year-old was linked to fellow Islander Laura Anderson, who he then later ditched for Megan Barton-Hanson.
Wes, who has also appeared on Dancing On Ice and The X Factor: Celebrity, then sparked up a relationship with All Stars contestant Arabella Chi, 32, in 2019, but split nine months later.
Here, the cheeky chap spills all on his return to the iconic villa, what it was like to see Arabella again and why his love life is strictly private these days.
Hi, Wes! Congratulations on your chart success. You recently returned to the Love Island villa. What did it feel like to be back in there?
A lot has changed since I was on Love Island in 2018. When I went back to perform for All Stars, I felt about 40 years older [laughs]. Obviously this time I was going in with different intentions, but even maturity-wise I was only 19 or 20 when I entered the first time. I’m a different person now. When I walked in, I thought, “Oh, I don’t know if I could do this again.”
So we shouldn’t expect you popping up on the next season of All Stars?
I honestly felt a little bit anxious going in. Don’t get me wrong, it really did launch me into the public eye and I’m so grateful for that. I’ll never be ashamed of going on Love Island, but at the same time, people change. I just couldn’t do it now. Thankfully, when I went in recently I had Craig [David] by my side and I was preoccupied with not looking like a clown next to him!
What was it like seeing your ex Arabella again?
There’s no bad blood between us. We’re absolutely fine now. To be honest, I wasn’t focused on Arabella at all when I went back into the villa, I was there to perform my song. I saw some people say online that it looked awkward, but it wasn’t at all. I’ve got nothing against the girl, but performing with Craig was more important than feeling rubbish about seeing my ex again.
What’s changed the most a
