Love Island’s Belle-A Breaks Down Nic’s False Assurances and Yulissa’s Departure
Love Island USA had its first recoupling of season seven on Sunday, and with it, its first dumping. Unfortunately for fans of swimsuit models with quirky name spellings and somewhat inscrutable accents, that honor went to the enigmatic Honolulu-based Belle-A Walker. Though her connection with Nic Birchall wasn’t strong enough to keep her in the villa for week two, she’ll remain in the Love Island Hall of Fame for her closing words to him after their breakup: “Not my loss.”
While zooming from a Fiji hotel room a few days after her exit, Walker explained everything that went down leading up to the fateful firepit ceremony, including the departure of Yulissa Escobar, who was pulled from the show on day two after viewers found clips of her saying the N-word on a podcast. Details were kept vague onscreen — 18 minutes into the second episode, Love Island’s narrator, Iain Stirling, stated that “Yulissa has left the villa” — and, according to Walker, who at the time of this interview didn’t have access to her phone, producers didn’t inform the cast about why she was evicted, either. At that point, Walker was intensely focused on her budding relationship with Birchall, who she says blindsided her with his decision to couple with bombshell Cierra Ortega. “I’d just spoken to him moments before, and he was like, ‘Belle-A, you don’t have any reason to worry.’ And then he sent me packing my bags.”
Tell me about your name! I’ve never seen it spelled like that. Where does it come from?
I love this question because nobody has asked me where my name comes from! I was born in Oregon, and my mom’s name is actually Vera-Anne, so she named me Isabelle-Anne. So I kind of took it upon myself to have, like, an adult rebrand, and I started going by Belle-A. Belledasha! So here we are now! B-Dash!
Wait, so you say “Belledasha”?
I just say “Belle-A,” but throughout this whole process, everybody’s been calling me Belledasha, and I’m absolutely running with it.
What made you want to go on Love Island?
I had gone through a breakup in December, and it was the first relationship that I’ve ever had in my life. Before that, I was a strong, independent woman, and throughout my relationship, I realized I am actually a lover girl to the core. I love loving and I love being loved. When my ex broke up with me, it shattered my heart to pieces. So I wanted to find my person and feel that love again. Love Island is just this adult summer camp for hot people, and I was like, Sign me up!
What was your reaction to getting cast?
I screamed. I dropped the phone. I ran in circles. I have this tiny little apartment, and I ran around maybe five times, and my roommate at the time was like, “What’s going on? Are you okay?” I’m like, “I’ve never been better. Let me tell you!” Five days later, I was on a flight.
Had you watched the show before?
I actually watched last season with my ex, which is hilarious. When he broke up with me, I said, “Are you gonna watch me on Love Island?” And he laughed. He didn’t know I was going on the show because it was just something I said — not out of spite, but, like, low-key. And he actually does have to watch me on Love Island!
What do you think your ex was thinking watching you this season?
I was with that man for two years and I still never figured him out. So I hope he’s thinking, I hate to see her with another man or, like, I’m gonna go get her back. There really was so much love between us and we had a beautiful relationship. It didn’t go down in flames at all, so if he wants to come get me back, by all means, baby.
I’m assuming you’ll have a very long line of people waiting for you when you get home.
As I should.
Did you already make the choice going into the villa not to kiss any of the guys on the lips? Or was that a spur-of-the-moment decision?
I genuinely do have a “no kissing on the first date” rule that I carry on in my everyday life, and I wanted to stay true to myself even in the villa, even in this unfamiliar environment where a lot of people would have let loose. I wanted to lay down a level of respect before they got to that level of physical touch with me.
Were people aware that that’s what you were going to do?
No, it definitely caught everybody off guard, which I actually loved so much because, yes, I am rare; yes, I am different. I’m not this typical girl you’re gonna meet who’s just gonna be easy and give you all this access to me right away. That’s not who I am.
So the producers didn’t know, either?
No! I will say, the producers are such amazing people and they made me feel beyond comfortable. I felt a little bad because I was like, “I know you want this big, juicy make-out.” They were like, “No, no, Belle-A, you move exactly how you want to.” They validated me and made me feel comfortable through the entire process.
That’s so great! You did end up kissing people in the baseball challenge — what changed?
What wasn’t really seen was me having conversations with the guys. I developed a friendship with all of them, and they all got to know me, and that’s exactly what I wanted before I started tonguing anyone down.
I know you don’t have your phone back yet, but it sounds like you’ve been able to watch some of the show. What are your thoughts?
I’ve been able to watch the entire season so far. It was rough for the first three episodes because I saw myself going through it; I felt all the emotions over again. I saw this girl who is usually this bright light, and she was feeling so small and stuck in this box. And that girl was me. People got to see my boundaries, but they didn’t get to see my character fully. I was just getting started. But then seeing me finally put myself first and stick up for myself in the fourth and the fifth episodes, I was so proud seeing that girl walk out with her head held high. I wish the outcome was different, but I’m finally getting into a better headspace about all of it.
What’s one thing you wish had been shown but wasn’t?
Me exploring other connections. I feel like I was painted as the third girl in this love triangle, and they didn’t give me any depth.
With who?!
Ooh. Can’t disclose that one.
Oh my God! Well, we did see you get to have this great big-sister/little-sister relationship with Huda. Sometimes the platonic relationships on Love Island are the most fun to watch.
Huda is my girl. I just know that that friendship is going to last a lifetime. She was there to catch my tears and comfort me and validate me when I felt like I was going crazy. She was there to remind me who I am, even when I started questioning my value. I felt like our connection was the strongest in the villa.
It also seemed like you formed a strong friendship with Yulissa. What was it like finding out she was gone?
It was hard. We entered the villa together. We were actually on the same flight, so right away, I felt like we had this connection. She brought this spicy energy to the mix, and her absence was definitely felt when she just disappeared.
How did that go down?
To be honest, I don’t even know. The producers came in and they told us that she had to go. They didn’t give us any details. We all had questions, but they basically gave us a couple of minutes to talk about how much we were gonna miss her and then move on from it, which was definitely difficult. But it is a TV show at the end of the day, and sometimes that’s just how things are. The show has to go on.
Did you get a chance to say good-bye?
Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to say good-bye. I know that she was just pulled for a chat, and that was the last I got to see her.
Tell me about going into the recoupling. How were you feeling?
One thing Nic did a really good job at was giving me false hope. He gave reassurance and then would take it away. I knew he did have a great connection with Cierra, but now watching it back, I’m realizing that their connection was, from the jump, sparks. I love that for them and I want that for them. I just wish he was honest with me about that.
It seems like when he mentioned the photo booth in his speech, that’s when everyone knew he’d picked Cierra. What was going through your head at that moment?
Leading up to that moment, he said, “We shared this special moment.” I didn’t know if he was gonna go with Soul Ties, because there were so many moments where I let my guard down with Nic that I was hoping he would reference one of them. Then he said “photo booth.” Nic and I had never been in the photo booth, so I knew in that moment that I was going home. I was really, really devastated because I’d just spoken to him moments before, and he was like, “Belle-A, you don’t have any reason to worry.” And then he sent me packing my bags.
What are you most excited to do when you get your phone back?
I can’t wait to call my family and chat with my mom. I can’t wait to see maybe who has come my way. Maybe people are shooting their shots in the DMs. I am obviously very, very, very open to that in the outside world. Hopefully in carrying myself as a high-value woman, I pray and hope that it only attracts high-value men.
I’m assuming you haven’t seen it yet, but a lot of people are wondering where your accent is from.
It’s so funny; I get this question here and there. I genuinely think that my accent is a product of the environments I’ve been in. I am first-generation American, my mom was born in the Philippines, and English is her third language. Some stems from that, and then some stems from being around Pacific Islanders all day and other Samoans and Hawaiians and different dialects and different slang. Then having my Oregon roots and Oregon slang. I think it’s just a mixture of everything altogether. To me, I don’t hear an accent, but I do know that sometimes there’s a little twang that comes out around certain people, specifically other Pacific Islanders.
Is there anything you wish you’d done differently in the villa?
I wish I allowed myself to fully embrace other connections instead of being so consumed with Nic. Because there was a little something there with somebody else, and I had a hard time being a girl’s girl in that villa. I just wanted to be loyal to my sisterhood, and I didn’t want them thinking I was slithering behind their backs trying to get to know their guys. I think I held myself back way too much in that villa.
I’m seeing some chatter online that people want you back in the villa somehow — maybe at Casa Amor? Could we be seeing more of you soon?
I wish I could expose everything, but unfortunately, I cannot! But I hope and pray for more opportunities. I’m a firm believer in what’s meant to be will be.