Alexandra Cane reveals she is trolled for no longer being the ‘curvy’ Love Islander

Alexandra Cane is now trolled for no longer being the ‘curvy’ Love Islander after slimming down from a size 10 to a six.

The reality star, 29, told MailOnline she is often accused of not ‘representing’ women in the same way now she’s an ‘extra small’ – but insists she’s still ‘body positive.’

In an exclusive interview, Alexandra, revealed the real reasons she took drastic action with her fitness regime after coming close to losing both her parents last year due to their deteriorating health conditions.

Alexandra, who was hailed by Love Island viewers for her curvaceous figure in 2018, made changes to her diet and lifestyle not to have the ‘perfect’ bikini body – but to help cure her crippling anxieties, that have previously seen her be hospitalised. 

She explained: ‘It was great so many viewers felt empowered by that. I found out a week before I was going on the show so I didn’t train beforehand, I was just Alex.

‘It does put pressure on me because when I chose to make certain lifestyle changes for myself it then became a case of – “you don’t represent us anymore” and that doesn’t mean I am not body positive.

‘In actual fact, I very much am, I’m just taking better care of myself, that doesn’t mean I didn’t like my body before – it’s just what’s going on in my head. 

‘No one saw I ended up in hospital because of anxiety attacks and that’s why I made changes – not because I want biceps.’

Alexandra’s dreams of becoming a professional ballroom dancer were left in tatters when she endured a severe knee injury aged 19, which put her life on a downward spiral. 

It wasn’t until her parents both suffered critical health scares that Alex found the determination to adopt a positive outlook. 

She said: ‘I didn’t have a job for two years, I got in a toxic relationship and I was at the lowest point in my life. I hadn’t found myself yet and I didn’t know my purpose. 

‘I started working in a bar and then my parents got ill, so it was a combination of unhealthy eating and drinking habits, not engaging in activity the way I knew and having health scares from both my parents. I almost lost my mum and dad last year.

‘My mum is in intensive care right now. I have driven to see her to stand outside the window but I haven’t been able to hug her or anything.

‘Through seeing both of their conditions, I started to think maybe this could have been prevented with diet, exercise, environment, and I hit such a low point in my life, I was very, very unhappy.’

Alexandra, who is celebrating the launch of her fitness brand MILA, rid her demons with the support of her personal trainer – but admits her athletic body that fans see today took ‘some really deep work’ to achieve. 

She said: ‘I needed to get on a better path and then I met my personal trainer. I had gym memberships I had for years but didn’t use – I’ve been that person but then I fell in love with training but I won’t lie, it was massively hard in the beginning.

‘I’ve had to do some really, really deep work and see parts of myself that didn’t make me happy. 

‘I was having panic attacks at our sessions because it was such high energy and I was so unfit. It would trigger my anxiety and I didn’t want to go back but my trainer would push me and he believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself.’ 

After dropping to a size six, Alexandra had to buy a whole new wardrobe as none of her clothes fitted anymore – and even now she still mistakenly buys outfits that are too big for her new body. 

She said: ‘I feel great in my clothes. There were times I would say “I can’t wear that” and I wouldn’t feel comfortable in certain things.

‘Since I have been taking better care of myself, clothes fit me better and I don’t speak to myself so negatively anymore. There are things I wouldn’t have picked out before that I do now because I am more confident. I feel amazing.

‘I had to have a re-haul of my wardrobe because nothing fit me. In the beginning all my clothes were hanging off me. I am still getting to grips with it. I order something and it’s too big and I’m like “huh”?’

Alexandra, who briefly dated Dr Alex George on Love Island, added she’s still single – but hopes to meet someone in 2021.

She said: ‘It hasn’t been easy to meet anyone this year at all. No one is on the scene at the minute but I am definitely open to it. I have an open heart. Maybe in the New Year things might lift but at the moment it is completely dead.’

Alexandra has launched her own debut business, a fitness brand called MILA, which promises to incorporate active wear for all shapes and sizes.

The first collection, available to buy from Wednesday, is stocked in sizes XS-XL and includes leggings, sports bras, tops and a cropped hoodie.

Speaking about her new brand, Alexandra said: ‘It is so exciting – it’s been a secret for months because I’ve been working through lockdown to get this off the ground.

‘It all started from the success of my fitness plan Happy Body that I launched back in January and I had so many people sign up to the plan because of coronavirus. No one expected that to happen. 

‘So many people were turning to home workouts to get through these uncertain times. I felt really privileged and in a lucky position. I started doing live work outs from home and I ended up getting 1000s of people joining the workouts and that kept me motivated and strong – it got me out of bed everyday.

‘I had an influx of messages and people saying I should start my own fitness line. I don’t really do a lot of brand deals – there have been so many I have turned down so I thought “why don’t I make that the next project?” That was where the idea was born.

‘My audience is mainly women and it felt amazing to have that community of people and to get them feeling good from the inside out.’

The star has also trademarked MILA and invested her own money into making the brand a success, adding: ‘This is a start-up business. It is all my money. I’ve had to be careful with what I can offer within the first drop but I want this to grow and become bigger and better.

‘I am already planning drop two and drop three. I want it to be comfortable, cool and convenient for as many body shapes and sizes as possible.’

• MILA is available in sizes XS-XL priced £12-£65 sold exclusively at www.themilatribe.com @themilatribe