Love Island’s Laura Anderson reveals why she forgave Dane Bowers after he cheated – and how they’re trying for a baby
LOVE Island's Laura Anderson got back together with Dane Bowers this year - three years after she dumped him for cheating.
Here, she reveals how she was able to trust her boyfriend again and how they're trying for a baby.
Relationships only really ever work out when you both love each other equally, which is something that is actually quite hard to find, and is often down to timing. I was chasing my boyfriend Dane [Bowers, 42] when he didn’t really want a girlfriend. Now it’s the complete reverse – he chases me.
I met Dane at a pool party while I was living in Dubai in November 2017 and I instantly liked how chilled-out and funny he was. When I said I had to leave, he asked me out for dinner and things went from there. He’s 10 years older than me, but you can get someone who’s 21 and is really mature, and you can get Dane, who, when he was in his late 30s, wasn’t ready for a relationship.
We were dating for six months when I found out he was seeing someone else. We weren’t in a relationship at that point, and we never said we were exclusive, but I was disappointed, so I confronted him and ended it. It was all very upsetting, and that’s when I applied to go on Love Island. It was just on a whim, but then when I got in against the odds, I took it as a sign I should do it.
When I was in the villa, someone sang Dane’s song Freak Me [from his Another Level days] during the striptease, and I was like: “That’s my ex’s song – shut up!” I was a bit annoyed at first, because I went in there to forget him!
Initially, I didn’t take to [fellow Love Islander] Paul [Knops, 35], but he made the moves, and I do appreciate a man that makes the effort to woo me. But when we left the show, there were lots of rumours that he’d had a secret girlfriend in America the whole time. I thought what Paul and I had was the real thing, so I was obviously upset, but I was also embarrassed because we were runners-up on Love Island and we broke up not long after.
The day after Paul and I broke up, I did that toxic thing where you text your ex. I went to Dane’s house, because I didn’t know what to do with everyone finding out about Paul, and he really helped me. Over the next two years he was there for me as a friend on quite a few occasions and comforted me when I needed it, but nothing happened sexually. In that time
I dated Max [Morley, from series one of Love Island], then my neighbour Tom – I was a serial dater! It wasn’t really until earlier this year that my feelings for Dane became romantic.
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In January, he told me he wanted to be with me and asked me to move in with him in Dubai. When someone tells you that and you’ve had love for them before, you have to trust it. I think when people are hurt in relationships they can shut themselves off, but I didn’t want to do that. I didn’t make the effort with him, but I gave him the time to work for it. He would go on a night out and would constantly message me and, although I never expected much, I got a lot.
I never thought I’d be able to trust Dane again, but I trust him more than anyone I’ve ever been with – even people who haven’t cheated. I don’t listen to outsiders when they say: “People never change.” I’m not one to be told. My old flatmate always said I was most myself with Dane, so she was thrilled when we got back together. I went with my gut and it’s worked out so far.
Actions speak louder than words and in May, four months after we got back together, I moved over to Dubai with him. We’ve looked at engagement rings and we’re trying to have a baby, but it can take ages to conceive. It’s funny how you spend your youth trying not to get pregnant and then you’re like: “Oh my god, why is this not happening straight away?”
While I wouldn’t wish the heartbreak I’ve been through on my worst enemy, I do think we all have to go through that to help us figure out what we want. I couldn’t be happier.
