'I broke up with Tristan [Phipps] on a walk and we bumped into my other ex-boyfriend Digby [Edgby]. I was standing there, and I was thinking is this some kind of sick joke? I thought, this is like some scene from Made In Chelsea! So, I was standing there with both my exes by the side of the river like, "Oh my god,"' Liv Bentley recalls over the phone.
Olivia Bentley – known as Liv – bustled onto Kings Road in 2016, and the nation quickly grew to love the nude photographer who could lighten up any room. With her quick wit and fiery comebacks, Olivia Bentley has solidified herself as one of Made In Chelsea's most iconic characters.
'Everyone keeps saying I'm old! They say "Oh, you're the old one, aren't you?" I'm an OG, thank you very much,' she says through laughter. Whilst fans of the E4 reality show have grown to love Liv Bentley's blunt honesty, she has also been praised over the years for her vulnerability on screen; from her emotional breakups to sharing her struggles with alopecia.
And series 25 - yes, it really has been going on for that long - of Made In Chelsea and the summer spin-off Made In Chelsea: Corsica was no different, as we watched Olivia Bentley's breakup with Tristan Phipps unfold after three years on-and-off together.
'It was actually the first time I dealt with a breakup the right way,' Olivia reveals. 'I stopped drinking for two months and got stuck into work and got my act together, whereas in previous breakups I've always been quite heartbroken and down.'
Why did Liv and Tristan break up on Made in Chelsea?
The former couple had recently moved in together in Chelsea and despite a rocky relationship, they were planning their future as a couple. Ultimately however, the reality star reveals that her needs in the relationship were just not met.
She tells Grazia, 'I don't like relying on someone else to make me feel better. In the past when I did this in relationships - I don't want to specifically pin it on Tristan, because it's not just him - it never worked out for me.'
Olivia continues, 'In my relationship with Tristan I feel like there were so many times that I needed him, or I wanted something that I just wasn't getting. So, now I want to be able to look after myself and not rely on anyone else.
'I think I feel like I've been let down by a lot of people in the past,' she adds. 'Whether it's friendships or relationships and maybe I do hold back a bit now.'
But does having a relationship on a drama-filled show like Made In Chelsea have a part to play in the breakdown?
Liv admits, 'I think where it gets hard sometimes is trying to work out, what's right by the show and what's right by your relationship. I think I found myself in situations sometimes where Tristan and I were trying to protect what we had, and we didn't want to admit that that we were for example arguing - but it's more dependent on the relationship than it is the show.'
As women, there is always this niggling voice by society pressuring us to take those next steps in our lives, whether it's marriage or kids, but Olivia says she won't allow anyone to pressure her.
She admits, 'It's so interesting, when I tell people I maybe don't want to have kids they're always so shocked. Even when you say it out loud people are like, "What?".'
As she watches all her friends like fellow cast members Tiffany Watson and Sophie Habboo get married and have kids, it has only affirmed to Olivia what she wants out of life.
'All my friends are having babies at the moment, and I love seeing them with their kids but for me, I'm so far from that,' she shares. 'I can't even see that happening to me in the next five years - and I don't think that's because of my breakup with Tristan.'
She continues, 'I think it's just because I'm not in a rush. When I was younger, I used to really want loads of kids and the married life and all that sort of stuff. Whereas now, my priorities have kind of changed and I really want to develop my business, JOMO London.'
Olivia explains, 'I think I actually had a conversation with Tristan before we broke up. I said, "You know what? I sometimes don't think I want babies."
'You never know, I could find the right person who I do ultimately want kids with, but right now for me it's a no. It's not something I feel pressured to do and I think feeling this way should be normalised.
'I just want to work, make a lot of money and live on an island somewhere - without changing nappies.'
I think where it get's hard sometimes is trying to work out what's right by the show and what's right by your relationship
Following the dramatic Made In Chelsea: Corsica summer series, during which Tristan started getting to know co-star Yasmine Zweegers three weeks after breaking up with Olivia, we're set to see how Olivia and Tristan's break-up will continue to play out on the current series of MIC (series 26, yes it really has been running for that long!).
Olivia recalls how she found about their dalliance whilst she was in Spain celebrating Sophie Haboo and Jamie Laing's wedding.
She says, 'At the time, I didn't know if it was a drunken kiss or if they were having a full on relationship. With Tristan and I, every time we've broken up, to help each other we made a deal that we wouldn't hook up with someone else on the show because it's painful.
'Also, the repercussions it has for the other person is awful. I also had to fly out to Corsica, and then had to talk about it - it was like reopening old wounds.'
Now time has passed, Olivia has healed from the situation, 'The thought of him being with someone else now doesn't bother me now, but at the time it was just a bit too close to home.'
She continues, 'I didn't cry after I broke up with Tristan and I don't think it's going to happen. It wasn't a sad breakup, and it wasn't like I'd lost the love of my life. So, there was no anger towards him or really towards Yas - it was probably more a respect thing from my side.'
So, is it really over with Tristan?
Liv says quickly, 'Yes, I think we both suddenly realised we're at an age where we don't want to keep wasting time really. I think we tried everything to make it work but unfortunately, we just couldn't do it.'
Plus, whilst Tristan begins dating other people, this series of MIC might also bring romance for Liv who is currently getting to know David 'Temps' Templer, with whom she already has a very flirty friendship.
We've watched Olivia Bentley on our screens for seven years now, living out every high and low, but does it ever get easier baring your soul on TV?
As the reality star reflects on her time on the show she says, 'It's mad isn't it? The nation has really watched the whole of my 20s on TV. But when it comes to breakups on the show, it's actually weirdly therapeutic. I think the benefit of the show is that you can voice things that maybe you necessarily wouldn't - it gets you talking and opening up about everything.'
That's not to say that the public's reactions didn't affect her at one point, and her relationship with social media has been a process.
She admits, 'I think the longer you do the show, the more the public get to know you and you almost build a relationship with them. So, as the years have gone on, I have had a lot less trolling.'
Olivia continues, 'Obviously, if my behaviour is appalling, which most of the time it is, I probably get a few dodgy comments here or there - but I don't read them.'
Liv adds cheekily, 'Or if it's a Sunday morning, and I'm a little bit hungover, I give them what for - but then I'll delete the comment like five minutes later!'
And thankfully for us all, Olivia Bentley won't be leaving the hit reality show anytime soon.
'I've always said to myself that the second I feel like I'm really unhappy or I'm not getting what I want from Made In Chelsea, then I'll leave. But obviously, I'm still hanging around because I still love it.'
Olivia concludes, 'But I'm still trying to work out if I'll actually date anyone on the show again. Time will tell!'
It's clear we're set for plenty more scene-stealing moments from our gloriously outspoken MIC veteran as things with Temps hotting up (despite what Liv says about dating on the show), the awkwardness of Temps and Tristan being old friends, plus the promise of plenty more drama from the cast as they are currently filming in Sydney. What would we do without you, Liv?