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Love Island USA‘s Olandria Carthen made a rare comment about how frustrating the public interest in her relationship with Nic Vansteenberghe has been.
“Why is it your business? Are your bills getting paid? Are you touch-deprived? Go get a man — go do something with your life,” Olandria, 28, told Cosmopolitan on Thursday, June 18. “Why does it matter if me and Nic are together?”
Olandria recalled an instance when she posted together with Nic, 25, on social media, adding, “People in the comments were like, ‘Oh, I just needed proof that they saw each other this week.’ Why are you so invested in people that don’t know you?”
She continued: “That part kind of creeps me out, because I’m never that invested in someone’s relationship, and I’m not living for the internet. I don’t always post what people want me to or always do what people want me to do.”
Olandria defended the way her and Nic have navigated their relationship in the spotlight.
“We don’t monetize our relationship or put it on display. If you genuinely like spending quality time with somebody, it shouldn’t involve a camera every two seconds,” she added. “We enjoy each other’s presence and do what normal people do: go out, have fun, and get to know each other.”
Love Island USA viewers got invested in Olandria and Nic’s dynamic when they joined the show in season 7. Since their time in the villa came to an end, Olandria and Nic have preferred not to document their personal life for public consumption.
“We go to dinner and watch movies at the actual movie theater. We hang out at his house in Florida. We actually took a ride on his dad’s bike,” she told the outlet. “He literally got his drone and recorded me and Nic on the motorcycle. It was so cute.”
Nic and Olandria. Kim Nunneley/Peacock
The couple’s decision, however, has caused some to question whether they are really together.
“It’s important for our own mental health. These people met you on TV, so they want access to you all the time,” Olandria shared. “You want to post normally, but then you see people overanalyze every little thing, and you shut down. When it comes to me and Nic — when you really care about something —you keep it very sacred and close to you.”
She added: “When I was younger, I never understood why people in Hollywood kept their love life private, and now I do. When you post too much, they think you’re monetizing and faking it. When you don’t post at all, they can’t tell if y’all are together. There’s no winning.”
Olandria also hinted that the pair have reached a major milestone, saying, “He said that he’s been in love twice and that the third time’s the charm.”
They got a text — and found love in the Love Island USA villa. The beloved British dating show made its way across the pond in 2019, following a crop of American bombshells searching for The One in a luxury tropical villa. In season 1, eventual winners Elizabeth Weber and Zac Mirabelli had a connection […]
Nic, for his part, recently spoke to Us Weekly about the overwhelming interest in his love life.
“At this point, the critics and the critiques are just overdone,” he said in May. “I’ve said all I need to say. At this point, it’s just about not giving it any more attention.”
Nic clarified that his focus is on protecting their relationship from outside commentary.
“It’s just intuition. I know the boundaries [I have for] myself and how much to share and what not to share,” he explained about finding a balance on social media. “Lately, not revealing too much about my personal life has been so nice for the both of us.”
Nic also credited “blocking people” and setting boundaries online. Despite creating some distance between himself and social media, Nic has still enjoyed throwing out “breadcrumbs” when it comes to milestones in his and Olandria’s relationship.
“We’ll be hanging out, and I’ll take a picture where her hand will be in the photo. And people will see, so it’s kind of funny,” he quipped.
