Love Island USA‘s Nic Vansteenberghe directly addressed the criticism surrounding his romance with Olandria Carthen.
“At this point, the critics and the critiques are just overdone,” Nic exclusively told Us Weekly while promoting his Smirnoff Ice partnership. “I’ve said all I need to say.”
Nic has since shifted his approach, adding, “At this point, it’s just about not giving it any more attention.”
After forming a connection with Olandria on season 7 of Love Island USA, Nic is focused on protecting their relationship from outside commentary.
‘Love Island USA’ Season 7 Stars Nic and Olandria’s Relationship Timeline
“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.
Ahead of their one-year anniversary, Nic recalled his immediate attraction to Olandria, saying, “I’d say [the] first thing [I noticed] was obviously her beauty and her grace. She just carries herself as a proper woman and the boss that she is. I just think that’s really attractive.”
Nic and Olandria’s relationship may have sparked immense public interest — but he has “appreciated the calm moments” more.
“[Looking ahead], I want to go back to our island that we went on for one of our dates,” he said about their time in Fiji. “I’d like to go back to that island.”
Love Island USA fans are holding out hope that Nic and Olandria make an appearance in season 8. Nic will be involved in the upcoming season regardless after partnering with Smirnoff Ice, which is the show’s Official Malt Beverage. When the show returns on June 2, Smirnoff Ice will be launching The Fan Edit — a new campaign inviting fans to vote on the bold new flavor.
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“I’m in the DJ space, and I like to have a Smirnoff Ice with me. We did a whole activation for spring break and my birthday. They took us out on the boat and brought out my girlfriend and friends, and we had a good time,” Nic recalled. “Now that Smirnoff is doing the partnership with Love Island, we’re going to have eight new flavors that fans get to choose from.”
He continued: “During commercial breaks, fans will be able to vote for it. I think that’s really cool and interactive.”
Nic, who loves the watermelon lime flavor, is looking forward to “voting on” season 8 and casting votes for the flavors. From May 22 through July 22, fans can vote for the next round of flavors as Nic, Jeremiah Brown and Iris Kendall become the face of the brand amid their two variety packs built for the season, which includes the new Smirnoff Ice Icy Island and Smirnoff Ice Sunny Days.
Love Island USA returns to Peacock on June 2.
