This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost Australia, which closed in 2021.

Love Island Australia’s Phoebe Thompson Was ‘Petrified’ Before Pursuing Same Sex Romance

The reality star coupled up with female contestant Cassie Lansdell.

Love Island Australia’s Phoebe Thompson says pursuing a same-sex relationship with Cassie Lansdell on the reality series was challenging. Not only was it the first time it was done on the Australian version of the show, but it was the first her parents heard of her attraction towards women.

“I was petrified of the response that I was going to get over making that decision,” the 28-year-old credit analyst HuffPost Australia after being eliminated on Thursday night.

“I think I made it clear that I hadn’t really spoken to my family about this, and then I was pretty much just making this big announcement and statement on national television.”

Phoebe said she was “still trying to figure out everything” in her mind. “Nothing is 100% clear. It did give me a lot of anxiety and it did stress me out a lot,” she said.

Love Island Australia contestant Phoebe Thompson.
Channel Nine
Love Island Australia contestant Phoebe Thompson.

Earlier this week Phoebe and Cassie chose to explore their attraction towards each other when Phoebe picked her partner during a re-coupling ceremony.

“I want to couple up with this person because as soon as I walked in to the villa I noticed them straight away,” she said at the time.

“They’ve pretty much been the only person in the villa that I’ve had a sexual attraction to. It took me by surprise, but every time I talk to this person I just feel like we have so much in common and nothing is ever awkward.

“So the person I would like to couple up with... Cassie.”

However, the pair’s romance was short-lived. On Thursday Phoebe was sent packing from the Fiji villa after Cassie coupled up with newcomer Luke Packham.

Phoebe said she knew that her and Cassie could drift apart in the Love Island villa, but was shocked that their breakup came so soon.

“There was always a part of me that thought, if a guy walks in that’s Cassie’s type or my type, potentially we could do a complete split because dating a man and being with a woman is completely different,” she said.

“I didn’t think it would happen so soon in that nature but there’s no hard feelings about it.”

Now that she’s left the reality show, Phoebe is still exploring her sexuality and “trying to figure it all out”.

“It’s really hard because I feel like I don’t think I can really identify as being bisexual… I’m just someone who is still trying to figure it all out,” she said. “I know that I am attracted to women. Whether that will be a massive part of my life going forward, I’m not 100% sure.”

Love Island airs Monday to Friday at 8:45pm on Channel Nine.

Close
This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost Australia. Certain site features have been disabled. If you have questions or concerns, please check our FAQ or contact support@huffpost.com.