As TOWIE officially turns 15, the cast has jetted off to Portugal to celebrate the milestone anniversary. While fans will be able to see what OG cast members like Lauren Goodger and Amy Childs get up to, they’ll also get to watch all the action from the newer stars – including former recruitment consultant turned Love Island star, Matilda Draper.
Matilda, 25, first found fame on Love Island 2024, but has since joined the show to star alongside boyfriend of almost a year, Roman Hackett, 23. In an exclusive chat with heat, the couple tell us about their matching tattoos, who they’re closest to in the TOWIE cast, and what they bicker over…
How’s your relationship going?
ROMAN: It’ll be our first anniversary soon, and I’m excited, as we’re going back to Dubai, which is where we met properly for the first time. We can’t get enough of each other. I'll be at hers of vice versa, but we both do our own thing, too. Life is good. We are both quite weird and funny.
MATILDA: It's flown by, but it also feels like I have been I have been with Roman my entire life. Dubai is our special place.
You have some matching tattoos…
R: We both got ‘Carpe Diem’, which means ‘seize the day’, and we had each other’s initials tattooed in Amsterdam. I also had Matilda’s birthdate inked in Bali. I think there’ll be more to come.
M: I think I’m going to get a tattoo on this trip [in Portugal]. Roman wants to get my eye tattooed on him.
Do you ever argue?
M: We bicker about little things, like him using all my toothpaste or all the toilet roll. We have gone through the process of learning each other's boundaries, which makes each other tick. But if one of us doesn't like something, we make a conscious effort to avoid it. We’ll make sure to text when we go out and when we get home. Neither of us are confrontational – we would rather talk it out. If a voice ever gets raised, we’re like, ‘No, we hate shouting’.
Who are you closest to in the TOWIE cast?
R: Matilda’s really been enjoying her first trip away with TOWIE, and getting to know everyone. Sophie [Kasaei] and Jodie [Wells] are in our crew. They are similar, in that they don’t like the drama – they have each other’s back. Jodie is like a sister to me.
M: Probably Soph and Jodie. They’re such lovely girls – and we’re the only ones who aren’t from Essex! Me and Ro are not in any of the dramas. We’ve been staying out of it and want to stay neutral – unless someone comes at us.
The new series of TOWIE will start at 9pm on Sunday 17 August on ITV2 and ITVX