Love Island Australia host Sophie Monk: "I took the job without seeing a single episode"
Sophie Monk tells us she trusted the buzz.
By the time Australia decided to launch its own Love Island in 2018, the show was already a massive hit here in the UK. It even had a cult following Down Under, with Aussies sharing our love of the sun-kissed dating series.
But Love Island: Australia presenter Sophie Monk admits she hadn't seen a single second of footage before she took the job.
She jumped at the chance to present the show - but it was a leap of faith.
"I had heard about the show obviously, everyone had heard about it, it’s massive," she tells RadioTimes.com. "So before even watching it I said yes to the job, because I knew it was so popular. I’m not going to lie, they approached me and I thought it sounded like the coolest concept ever. It was only then that I started watching bits and I thought, 'This is just awesome, on a whole other level!' It’s such a good escape from reality for me, being able to host something so fun."
TV personality Sophie is no stranger to reality shows, having won The Celebrity Apprentice Australia, starred in The Bachelorette Australia and judged Australia's Got Talent. She knows how it feels for the Love Island Australia cast to find themselves in a bubble.
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"When you're filmed for that long you try to walk in one way, but everyone’s personality will come out eventually, you just can’t put up that façade for too long. Eventually you just forget the cameras are there and the emotion takes over. Then you sit and watch the series back thinking, 'Oh no, why didn’t I just calm down?'"
As a reality show veteran, we had to ask Sophie if she would do a celebrity version of Love Island... "Thank God I've finally got a boyfriend, the best man ever, so no I won't be doing Love Island!" she says. "But I really want to do 60 Days in Jail - that's a brilliant show, I've been watching it during lockdown."
Love Island Australia begins on ITV2 on Monday 15th June at 9pm, and airs nightly. To find out what else is on, check out our TV Guide.
