After last night’s episode, Love Island contestant Abigail Rawlingsreceived a lot of virtual love and admiration across the Twittersphere.
Over the last few episodes, we have seen a lot more of Abi and it is clear she really is a girl’s girl, and has continuously put her feelings aside for the sake of others.
Watching her tearfully apologise to Mary last night after recoupling with Dale (whom both girls are interested in) did twinge on my heart strings a little bit. This hard exterior she put on when she first entered the villa has faded and we are seeing the real her right now. The tattoo artist is just very sweet and sensitive ... and is searching in all the wrong places for love.
Upon entering the villa as a bombshell alongside Tyler and Georgia, Abi had her eyes firmly on the resident troublemaker (turned loveable favourite) Toby.
Abi walked into the situation confident, backed herself and did cause heads to turn. That is exactly what a bombshell is supposed to do, they are put into the villa to cause drama. This was no different to the way bombshell Chloe snatched Toby or when Lillie went for Liam.
Toby ultimately left his partner Chloe after finding a ‘better connection’ with Abi. But as Casa Amor dawned and five beautiful women arrived, it didn’t take much to change Toby’s mind.
During Casa Amor Abi stayed loyal to Toby – sleeping on the sofa and not searching for another romantic connection. While some say it was naive due to Toby’s past disloyalty to women, Abi appeared to genuinely think he would come back to her. After all, he took a massive risk recoupling with her over Chloe in the first place.
During the dramatic Casa Amor recoupling episode, Toby strolled into the villa arm in arm with Mary Bedford (yes, Mary who also now wants Abi’s partner Dale – they seem to have a thing for the same men).
After being faced with Toby dumping her in front of the whole villa- she replied, 'I’m happy for you.' This was not in a bitter kind of way (which would have been totally justified in this situation), she genuinely meant it and took it all with a graceful smile – my heart.
After Casa fallout she emotionally admitted, 'I don’t even know where to go, or where to be.' Being a single Islander can have its challenges in a villa full of love, and Abi has been unlucky with her pairings.
So where has this confidence we saw from Abi when she first arrived gone?
Understandably, she has suffered a few knocks to her confidence after being on the receiving end of non-reciprocated relationships.
After Abi recoupled with Dale on Tuesday night’s episode, Mary made a jab at Abi at the firepit, announcing the boy she liked and had a connection with was taken …
What also comes into play here is Dale playing the field a bit and keeping his options open. Before the recoupling Dale said to Abi that he was interested in both her and Mary. It wasn’t until after the recoupling that Dale made his feelings for Mary crystal clear - so why wouldn’t Abi go for what she wanted?
Mary's speech at the recoupling could be read as a slight over reaction, given they were both interested in the same man and Abi got to pick first. It’s fair game after only knowing each for a couple of days….
After the recoupling Abi told Dale, 'I feel awful, I feel like I’ve just torn a couple apart. I didn’t realise you two were that close, it’s been like two days.' She continued, 'If you are gutted, I give you permission to sleep on the day bed with her – it is what it is.'
As the episode ended Abi admitted, 'I’d rather stay single, I’m done with this shit.'
Hopefully Abi realises what a gem she is and doesn’t let her confidence shatter in this very intense environment.
We hope Abi gets her happily ever after, it’s what she deserves!
READ MORE: Iain Stirling: 'The Stress Around Being The Love Island Narrator Is Hard'