Former Love Island contestant and model Megan Barton Hanson has come out as bisexual (hey, Pride month is June after all…) and opened up about falling in love with women.
Speaking candidly to The Sun, the reality star said she feels 'deeper connections' with women, and claims that she auditioned unsuccessfully for the show in 2017, but believes that being open about her bisexuality 'put them off' casting her.
"I just felt like I needed to get with a guy because society said so but after the shit I've been through, I just want to see how it goes with a woman." Fair play, gal. You do you.
The star was coupled up with former beau Wes Anderson, but the pair have since split up. Though she never spoke about women on the show, she has had love in her life with those of the opposite sex:
"I first fell in love with a girl when I was 16, but it wasn't even in a sexual way. I never saw her just in that way, but we'd like hang out, and one thing led to another.
"We would do everything together. I found her more and more attractive, and not even the way she looked, just like the way she was in general," she continued.
She added: "I've slept with girls, but I've never had long term romances with girls. It's not just a sexual thing for me, I feel like I have a deeper connection with women…
"I think long-term I would get with a woman, but it's hard. I really want kids, so that's something I'd need to look into when the time comes," she expanded.
Megan was also asked about her audition for the infamous ITV2 show, and she claims: "I was super open and said I feel like I'm more into girls, but I think that's what put them off in 2017."
She went on to reference her 2018 audition, which led to her casting;
"In Love Island I already felt I had a stigma attached to me because of being a stripper. I didn't want to like add to it by revealing I like girls as well!
"But now I feel like everyone has accepted that and to be honest, I don't care what people think. I'm 25, I want to find someone, maybe not the one, but the one for now," she said.
In terms of looking for a partner for life, Megan said: "I want to find someone to travel with and enjoy life with, so I feel like I just need to be a bit brave now and say it how it is.
"It's so easy to let fear of people's opinions stop you from being true to yourself."
The model felt under pressure "by society" to reveal her sexuality and claims that she's decided to come out now because the public can still be negative and narrow-minded about sexual identity.
"If it's right, you've got one life, live it, enjoy life," she said. "Just live. Although we're much more open-minded and less judgmental now, there is still a lot of judging around people's sexuality.
"If you have any type of platform I think it's important to use it for people who don't have a voice.
"There's a lot of people who fear they can't come out – but the more it's spoken about the more it becomes less of a thing."
Feature image: Instagram/@meganbartonhanson