You would think by now Sophie Monk would be sick of talking about love.
First, there was her stint as the Bachelorette on The Bachelorette Australia last year. Then, of course, came her relationship with eventual winner Stu Laundy, followed by press, promo and a public break-up. That’s enough love to last a lifetime.
Yet here we are. Sophie – who first found fame nearly 20 years ago as a member of girl group Bardot – is set to host a new show, Love Island Australia.
It features a bunch of beautiful singles trying to fall in love on a Spanish island.
Once again, that tricky topic of love is on the table. But to Sophie’s credit, she’s quite candid about her happily-ever-after hiccups.
“It’s not looking great on the relationship front,” Sophie laughs self-deprecatingly following her split from millionaire publican Stu at the beginning of this year.
“I’d love to meet someone right now, but it just hasn’t happened yet.”
Sophie isn’t going to let a few happily-ever-after hiccups stop her from enjoying Love Island Australia.
While the demise of her television relationship might have been painful, it did teach Sophie a thing or two.
“As you get older, you’re wiser, that’s for sure,” the 38-year-old tells TV WEEK.
“I’ve spent years trying to impress people and trying to be what they want me to be. I’ve let go of that now and it’s very liberating.”
As she prepares to jet off for her latest gig on Love Island Australia, Sophie seems to be in a philosophical mood.
She’s aware that on the surface, this down-to-earth girl from the Gold Coast pretty much has it all.
“I know I’m doing everything I want to,” Sophie reflects. “I’ve got great friends, family and a fun job. The only thing I’m missing is a good partner, someone to share it all with.
“But I guess you can’t have everything.
It just seems like everything else is in line and I’m waiting.”
During her time on The Bachelorette Australia last year, the country fell in love with the former pop star. Surely Sophie mustn’t be short of attention from eligible men?
“Unless I fall in love with the Uber Eats guy, then I don’t meet anyone,” the TV presenter jokes.
“I meet people when I’m out, but it’s always fans. That’s great, but it’s a certain vibe. Maybe I’ll meet someone overseas [during filming] who’s keen to move here.”
While her duties as host of Love Island should keep her busy, she admits it beats being the centre of attention as the Bachelorette.
“I’m happy to be on this side of things,” she says. “It’s so stressful to be the subject, like on The Bachelorette.
“Now, I can just observe the drama from afar, without having to worry about the stress of it all. And let me tell you, there’s plenty of drama.”
And once the show wraps, it’ll be straight back to business for Ms Monk.
“I’ll be looking for a Spanish pool boy to fall in love with,” she grins.
We wouldn’t expect anything less from you, Sophie!
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