HAILED as the new Love Island, Netflix smash Too Hot To Handle is the dating show everyone is talking about.
And today we go behind the scenes with its breakout star, Essex girl Chloe Veitch.
In an exclusive interview, the former Top Model pageant winner reveals how the contestants reacted to news they were not allowed to kiss – let alone have sex – on the show.
And explains how the series changed her from a serial Tinder dater to someone who feels empowered by being single.
Too Hot To Handle sees 14 sexy and nearly-naked guys and girls from around the world placed in a luxury, beachside villa in Mexico to find love – and win the £80,000 prize.
But on arrival, they are told no physical contact is allowed and that the prize fund will go down each time this rule is broken.
Former waitress Chloe reveals that the men were more outwardly gutted by the rules than the girls were – although pouty Canadian Instagram model Francesca Farago burst into tears.
She says: “For some of the guys, sex was like a daily exercise for them. It opened my eyes – guys actually love sex. I realised, ‘This is why they don’t text me back’. Once I’ve kissed someone, they don’t want to know.
“Everyone was having weird sex dreams every night in the shared bedroom. I dreamed I was in a massive sex room with all of the housemates. It was so odd.
“I’m a very passionate and affectionate person and when I like someone I love to hug them, kiss them and hold hands with them, so it was a shock when we found out the rules.
SAUCY GAMES
“To be told you can’t kiss someone you like was an added emotional hurdle and it did get to people and added stress.”
The show aims to encourage the contestants to stop having shallow relationships based on sex and to find deeper connections.
Obviously, it does this via a tempting series of saucy games involving booze, blindfolds and bondage.
Chloe, who has picked up 700,000 Instagram followers in a week since the show aired, says: “It was sexual rehabilitation for everyone.
“I was a serial dater and would always have a few guys on the go. I was addicted to Tinder, swiping all day. It was a confidence boost for me.
“But I never chose the best guys. I’ve been hurt before and have an emotional barrier up.”
Chloe, who has also represented the UK in the Miss Super Talent pageant, was told before the show to pack her suitcase with as much skimpy swimwear as she could find.
She says: “I had 40 bikinis with me. As soon as I found out I was going on I went into Primark and bought one in every colour.
“Then as soon as I landed in Mexico I bought even more and body glitter.”
The wannabe TV presenter feels body confident after having a boob job a few years ago, taking her from an A to a C cup. She says:
“I only did it for my own confidence. I was so small and I didn’t want to get massive, obvious fake boobs.
“I don’t want to get loads of plastic surgery as I don’t want to ruin that natural beauty. And I would say that to every girl out there – try to stay unique. If you’re beautiful on the inside it will show.”
The eight-part series sees Chloe go on an intimate date with Brit personal trainer David Birtwistle and snog Californian charmer Bryce Hirschberg.
But it was Plymouth model Kori Sampson who broke her heart when he took Francesca on a date despite kissing her first.
Chloe says: “As soon as he walked in I knew he was cheeky. I thought we were going to be a power couple, but he wasn’t honest with me.
“I was so upset as I had let my emotional barrier down and he betrayed me. He basically cheated on me with Francesca. But l learned my worth from it.”
She adds of bombshell Francesca, who has dated DJ Diplo: “All the guys fancied her and even the girls did too, she was so stunning.
“She had a personality to go with the boobs, which helped.
“It was a danger zone for us girls though as she didn’t open up about which guys she fancied.
“She just wasn’t a girls’ girl. We didn’t see eye to eye.
“After our run-in over Kori I think I rattled her as I opened her eyes to see that the way she acts hurts girls’ feelings and she needed to look in the mirror at herself and see her faults as well as other people’s.”
But for Chloe, the show’s experiment was a success as she left feeling more fulfilled than before.
She says: “I haven’t had any one- night stands since leaving the house. I have been on a few dates, but I’m happy being single now and feeling empowered. I’m still finding myself.
“Girls, you don’t need a guy to value you, just respect yourself instead – it’s so important.”
