Inside the truth behind Olivia Attwood’s savage rant about ‘copycat star’ – and her feud isn’t with I’m A Celeb’s Maura
A SHOCK feud erupted as Olivia Attwood appeared to take a furious swipe at ‘copycat’ Maura Higgins this week.
But The Sun can reveal the truth behind her savage rant – and it’s got nothing to do with I’m A Celeb star Maura, 33.
Ex-campmate Olivia, 32, who famously quit the jungle after just 48 hours in 2022, teased fans with a cryptic post on Monday, claiming she had a secret that would “blow your f***ing mind.”
She also accused someone of copying her, sparking rumours that Maura was involved.
However, sources close to Olivia have set the record straight – and it was actually about fellow Love Island alum Laura Anderson, 34.
An insider said: “The idea that this is about Maura Higgins is absolute rubbish. Olivia’s got no issue with Maura at all.
“The truth is, this is about Laura Anderson, and people have totally got the wrong end of the stick.”
Just yesterday, the Stirling-native made fans double-take as she mirrored Olivia’s fringe haircut in a BTS video from a photoshoot.
And that’s not the end of it.
The source continued: “Laura recently asked for the same hand tattoos as Olivia and the guy refused point-blank.
“She’s even been seeing Olivia’s aesthetic doctor, Dr. Saleena Zimri, travelling down from Scotland just for it.
“It’s obvious that she’s trying to mimic Olivia’s look and it hasn’t gone unnoticed. Olivia feels like this crosses a line.”
In fact, the feud goes all the way back to when Laura arrived on the scene in 2018.
Olivia accused Laura of copying her style in the villa, tweeting from New Look’s account at the time, “Wait, is Laura wearing MY hairdo? Ok, I’m calling fraud prevention @oliviajade_att #LoveIsland.”
She added: “Wait, my head’s gone. Laura’s come in last like me, wearing my exact outfit.”
Olivia, who was known for sporting a half ponytail with her long blonde hair, later joked about needing “protection”.
Speaking on Capital Breakfast, she joked: “I feel like I need to, like, call for protection! Like, she’s got my hair… No, do you know what, I quite like her. Shock!”
Things soon escalated when Olivia claimed Laura was trying to “steal her life”.
In 2018, we reported that she believed Laura was imitating her look, which bothered her even more when Laura muscled in on her Love Island friends.
Laura also signed with Olivia’s then-management after leaving the show – and the two shared the same photographer for their 2019 calendars.
A source told The Sun, “Olivia can’t stand Laura.
“Olivia is fed up with her as she feels like she is copying her and trying to be her. Same hair, same glasses, uses the same glam teams, she thinks she copies her look.
OLIVIA VS LAURA: A FEUD TIMELINE
A LONG-RUNNING feud between Olivia Attwood and Laura Anderson has been reignited, with Olivia taking aim at someone she feels has been copying her look and life.
From hairstyling to tattoos, the tensions between the two have simmered for years, with Olivia’s latest cryptic posts shedding new light on their rivalry.
2018:
- Olivia accuses Laura of copying her style, tweeting from New Look’s account, “Wait, is Laura wearing MY hairdo?”
- She further claimed Laura had mimicked her exact outfit when entering the Love Island villa.
- Olivia jokingly mentions needing “protection” as Laura adopts her signature half ponytail hairstyle.
- Despite the jabs, she later claims she “quite likes” Laura.
- Olivia later expresses frustration over Laura trying to “steal her life,” feeling that Laura was imitating her look and aligning with Olivia’s Love Island friends.
- Laura also joined Olivia’s former management.
2019:
- Olivia’s annoyance grows when Laura uses the same photographer for her 2019 calendar.
- Olivia retaliates with a cryptic post about “someone copying her”.
2021:
- Olivia reignited the feud with a social media rant aimed at celebrities holidaying in Dubai, criticising influencers who justified their trips as “work”.
- Her comments were widely seen as a dig at Laura, who had defended her own Dubai travel during the UK lockdown.
2024:
- Olivia posts a cryptic message hinting at the feud, claiming someone is copying her look and life.
- Laura mimics Olivia’s fringe haircut in a behind-the-scenes photoshoot video, further fuelling tensions.
- Sources confirm that the feud is directed at Laura, following speculation it was about Maura Higgins.
“She was annoyed because at the Specsavers awards Laura was getting on really well with Amber and the other Love Island girls from Olivia’s year, so she got jealous and has refused to have anything else to do with her.
“Olivia was also furious when Laura used the same photographer that Olivia used to shoot her 2019 calendar.”
Soon after she posted a sneak peek, Laura followed suit, tagging the same photographer.
Olivia hit back with another post, writing, “Just because I post something on my insta/story doesn’t mean you have to,” followed by an eye-roll and sleepy emojis.
Then, in 2021, she appeared to reignite the feud by making a dig at celebs holidaying in Dubai.
Laura had just addressed the backlash directed at influencers escaping the UK for business trips in Dubai last week.
While the UK was plunged into lockdown, the reality star defended her decision to travel to the UAE, telling her following she was “working”.
But Olivia appeared to have none of Laura’s excuses about “working” as she indirectly responded on social media.
“Some things I’ve seen legit over the past 24 hours are people on their stories saying how hard it is,” she began in a video rant.
“People are losing their family members daily, they can’t pay rent and their businesses they’ve worked their f***ing bollocks off for are crumbling around them and you’re on the beach telling us, ‘You don’t know how hard it is.’
“I’m not saying I won’t be going away, but I won’t be telling you I’m going for work, I’ll just be honest because this country sucks f***ing d*** and I’m out.”
Fast forward to 2024, Olivia failed to admit who she was talking about in her latest message, which read: “One day I’m going to write a book and some of the stuff I have managed to keep [zipped mouth emoji] on over the years.
“It will blow your f***ing mind.
“You can try to hire all the same people, regurgitate my stories as your own, study the playbook, follow the recipe blah blah blah, but it will NEVER taste the same. That’s all.”
Fans thought she had been targeting Maura as it came just hours after the Irish star confessed to getting revenge on her cheating ex-boyfriend.
Maura told how she used her ex’s toothbrush to clean the toilet before immediately signing up for Love Island.
She told The Sun columnist Jane Moore: “I had a plan and no word of a lie, when he went to the gym the next day I got his toothbrush and I filmed myself scrubbing in the verges.
“He had a dentist appointment that day!”
Earlier this year, Olivia also told how she was inspired to go into the Love Island villa after her now-husband Bradley Dack cheated on her.
Olivia told the Daily Mail’s Weekend magazine: “I wanted to get back at my ex-bad boyfriend Bradley, and it worked.
“I turned down series three initially – until I found out Brad was seeing his ex-girlfriend. I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, I can’t actually believe this has happened to me again. What am I actually doing?’
“Anyone who has been cheated on knows it’s just the most horrible thing. Brad and I hadn’t met each other’s families at that point but we were dating. I was deeply shocked.”
Representatives for Olivia and Laura have been contacted for comment.