Olivia Bowen, the celebrated Love Island star, has unveiled a comprehensive health transformation for 2026, embarking on a rigorous new regime that includes eliminating alcohol and sugar from her lifestyle. The 30-year-old television personality shared the initial impacts of her wellness journey through an Instagram post on Tuesday, showcasing her radiant complexion in a cheerful, makeup-free selfie that highlighted her glowing skin.
A New Chapter of Wellness
In her social media update, Olivia captioned the image with an enthusiastic declaration about her recent changes, stating: 'No alcohol and no sugar and new skincare is doing wonders.' This marked the beginning of what appears to be a dedicated year-long commitment to improved health and wellbeing. Alongside her dietary adjustments, the reality star has also recommitted to her fitness routine, throwing herself back into regular gym sessions following the birth of her second child.
Postpartum Fitness and Family Life
Olivia welcomed her daughter Siena with husband Alex Bowen in August, and has since been navigating the challenges of new motherhood while prioritising her physical health. She shared additional images from early January that included a snapshot of herself mid-workout, accompanied by a candid caption about her current routine: 'Proof of life… January is a weird month all I’ve done is work gym eat & try & fail to sleep with my 5m old who wakes every hour.' This honest reflection provides insight into the balancing act many new mothers face between personal health goals and demanding parenting responsibilities.
Health Challenges and Anxiety
The reality star has been remarkably open about her postpartum health struggles, recently revealing that she was forced to call an ambulance after developing mastitis. This painful yet common condition, which involves inflammation of breast tissue typically due to a blocked milk duct, left Olivia in significant discomfort. According to NHS guidance, mastitis most commonly affects breastfeeding women and usually doesn't require medical treatment, nor is it contagious.
Taking to Instagram, Olivia shared a vulnerable picture of herself lying in bed as she described the frightening experience, writing that she 'thought I was gonna pass out' after being up all night in severe pain. She explained that her decision to call paramedics was influenced by heightened health anxiety that has developed since Siena's birth, stating: 'Ever since Siena's birth I have quite bad health anxiety so I literally spiralled last night. Thank you to the paramedics that came to help you guys are angels, just incredible.'
Family Support and Treatment
Olivia expressed gratitude towards her husband Alex, whom she met on the hit ITV show in 2016, for his unwavering support during her health scare. The couple also share three-year-old son Abel alongside their five-month-old daughter. She recounted how Alex had been up all night with her before going to collect her antibiotics, and had even prepared their children for a potential trip to A&E. Aside from antibiotic treatment, Olivia shared that management strategies for mastitis include continuing to feed from the affected breast, applying frozen cabbage leaves as a compress, and using cold therapy to reduce inflammation.
Openness About Birth Trauma
The television personality has been increasingly vocal about her health anxiety, which intensified after what she describes as nearly dying following Siena's birth. During an emotional episode of her ITV2 reality show Olivia & Alex: Parenthood in October, she broke down in tears while revealing that her bladder had fallen into her cervix before she experienced significant hemorrhaging after delivery.
Viewers witnessed Olivia's initially planned home birth with a birthing pool before complications arose that necessitated calling an ambulance for hospital transfer. She recalled: 'We had a plan but it didn't come off. I felt something that didn't feel right. I was only 5cm dilated after 10 hours but I was determined to push through, I then felt a lump in my vagina and we made the decision to go to hospital. We were so scared. The doctors were incredible the NHS was amazing, I literally feel that they saved my life.'
Previous Pregnancy Loss
In a further revelation of her reproductive health journey, the couple disclosed in March that they had initially been expecting twins before experiencing the loss of one baby eight weeks into the pregnancy. Olivia became emotional during an appearance on Loose Women as she recalled their excitement upon discovering they were having twins just before Christmas, following an early six-week scan.
She explained: 'We had that two week period we were looking at cars, looking at car seats, planning bedrooms... and something happened called vanishing twin syndrome. One of the babies just basically didn't have a heartbeat but I'd had no symptoms, no pain, no bleeding to tell me that was what we were walking into. We were floored, we were expecting to have these two little babies.' This heartbreaking experience adds another layer to Olivia's complex health narrative and her current determination to prioritise wellbeing in 2026.
