Love Island star Helena Ford's mission for love after being 'misunderstood on show'

British Airways hostess-turned-Love Island star Helena Fordhas had a rollercoaster summer following her stintin the famous Mallorcan villa.Since returning to the “real world ”, as the Islanders call it, the 29-year-old says her life has been a whirlwind and that overnight fame is something nobody can prepare you for – although she’s taking it all in her stride.

“Life’s been crazy, so overwhelming. For the first couple of weeks, I was like, ‘Oh my God. Is this my new life? Is this actually me?’” she exclusively opens up to OK!. “But once you start settling into it, you start enjoying it more. It’s been so much fun. I’ve loved it.”

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Helena was at the forefront of much of the villa drama and was easily one of the show’s most controversial contestants to date thanks to her on/off romance with Harry Cooksley and her heated arguments with Shakira Khan. But in this exclusive chat she tells us the experience has opened her eyes – and says she feels more than ready now to swap the diva antics for duvet days with someone special.

“I kind of just wanted to switch off from it all when I came out of the villa. I was like, ‘I don’t want to speak to men ever again,” she laughs. But having had a bit of time to reflect, she’s done a full 360 on her outlook on love and what she’s looking for in a partner.

“I feel like I’ve changed what I want in a man. I want someone who’s family-oriented. Before I was very much a party girl, but being in the villa and not going out... it settled me down a lot. Now I just want somebody who properly wants to settle down. I’m not saying I want kids any time soon, but I just want someone who wants a little homebody, basically.”

Referring to the time of year where singletons seek out short-term romances to keep them company during the colder months, she adds with a mischievous grin, “Cuffing season’s coming up now, and I’m ready to get cuffed!”

On a more serious note, she admits that her time on Love Island offered up some huge life lessons. “I’ve gained so much self-awareness,” she says. “I learned a hell of a lot about myself in that villa, things I don’t think I would know if I hadn’t done Love Island .”

She continues, “I’ve realised I’m very much an ‘avoidant attachment’ type in relationships. I run away from things. I never like to sit down and talk things through. I’ll say, ‘Oh whatever, it’s done now, I’m never speaking to you again.’ But now I feel like I can work on that.”

While Helena hasn’t watched the full series back, she feels the public didn’t necessarily see the real her. She says, “I think I was very misunderstood, which I hate. I think they got the impression that I just don’t care about things, that I laugh everything off and I don’t have a backbone. But it’s not that, I just don’t take life too seriously.”

Helena has plenty of support from her fellow Islanders and is still close friends with Megan, Meg, Dejon, Emily, Alima and Lauren. But one name who’s not on that list is Harry, who Helena hasn’t heard from since leaving the villa.

“I think I expected the outside world post- Love Island to be a lot different,” she admits. “I assumed we’d all be meeting up but we haven’t – yet – and I haven’t even spoken to Harry.”

Helena may not have had any contact with her old flame, but she has dipped her toe in the dating world again and has been on a few dates with the help of Breeze, which connects users for immediate, real-life dates by skipping the endless swiping and chatting that plague most dating apps.

“I’ve been on a couple of dates in the last few weeks and they’ve been really fun because this concept totally aligns with me – I hate texting,” she laughs.

“The guys weren’t for me, but hey, we’re still going. I felt like being in the villa was almost like speed dating. Every single day you’re constantly grafting. So since I’ve been out, I’ve been like, you know what? I’m just gonna take things a bit slower.”

Helena has teamed up with Breeze, the dating app where you cut the chat and directly plan your date, so you can get straight to the sparks. Learn more at breeze.social

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