Never one to shy away from getting her hands dirty, the former Love Island star finds herself knee deep in the world of online sex work, as her award-winning show, Olivia Attwood: Getting Filthy Rich, returns for a second series. The 32 year old speaks to people working in all aspects of the industry – and the users who make it so lucrative – to find out how some people pay their mortgages making sexy TikToks with socks on. Here, Olivia tells heat why she won’t be kink-shaming anyone, and also reveals what we can expect from her upcoming four-part wedding special, Olivia Marries Her Match...
You must be quite familiar with the world of online sex work now. Is there anything you still found surprising?
I think just how vast the online sexual economy really is. The options for adult work in 2023 are endless, so the earning potential is always surprising. I mean the amounts people are earning doing things I’d never even heard of!
Are there ever case studies that you struggle with?
There’s enough kink-shaming going on, that’s not what we’re trying to do on this show. People who know me through social media and other telly work know that I’m an open-minded person. I’m of the opinion, let people do what they want to do as long as they’re not hurting anyone or themselves. Hopefully that comes across.
Almost everyone you speak to on the show is female. Why do you think there’s such a gender imbalance in the industry?
There are definitely more women, for sure. But the issue we had was that men are just way harder to interview. More women are like, “Hey, this is what I do. I own it. I’m happy to talk about it.” It was really hard to pin down guys who were happy to talk about what they do – it’s almost a reverse stigma there.
It seemed like men didn’t even want to discuss using these services...
I think it’s the male ego thing. In series one, we really wanted to speak to men who purchase content on OnlyFans. There are millions of them, otherwise these sites wouldn’t be so successful. It’s someone’s dad, brother, colleague, but there’s obviously an embarrassment around it, which is interesting.
How much does power play come into it?
This is the conversation we’ve been having since the first series. Who’s in control? The person creating the content or the person buying it? Well, one doesn’t exist without the other. So, it’s hard to say which person has the power.
One girl says it’s just work, and it “doesn’t have to be empowering"...
I’ve not heard anyone put it like that before. No one puts that much pressure on other work, no one says, “Do you feel in control when your boss shouts at you at your office job?”
Do you feel empowered making shows like this?
I feel a huge amount of honour. To meet people who are gracious enough to invite me into their homes and workplaces. I’ve witnessed them doing intimate things and I find that a huge privilege. I love making a show that brings a modern take on the talk around adult work.
You’ve got your wedding special coming soon...
We’ll be dropping Olivia Marries Her Match in the next couple of months. It’s a four-part run-up to the wedding, hen do, stag do, everything. It’s very funny, if I say so myself! Then I start filming my next documentary in a couple of weeks, which is about the world of cosmetic surgery.
Do you enjoy sharing parts of your life on TV?
I’d like Olivia Meets Her Match to continue for as long as possible. We’ve got a loyal fan base. Those viewers have been with me since Love Island. I’d like them to follow me as my life moves on.
Olivia Attwood: Getting Filthy Rich is available to stream exclusively on ITVX.