Former Love Island contestant Faye Winter has opened up about her experience with stalking.
She spoke about a situation she found herself in while on the dating scene with a man who began showing up at her home uninvited after they had gone out a couple of times.
This marked her return to the dating scene after her breakup with Teddy Soares and highlights a much broader issue of women’s safety in modern society.
In a recent episode of Paul C Brunson’s podcast, We Need to Talk, the 29-year-old reality star shared her story.
Faye explained that she met someone who wasn’t her usual type and decided to give it a chance: “I wanted to be celibate for a year and I did that, very easy actually. But I then met somebody just out and about and he wasn’t my usual type.
“He wasn’t someone I usually go for, but everyone I’ve gone for in my past that is my type has not worked out, so let’s go for someone for their heart and rather than what they look like.”
Things quickly turned weird as he began to turn up at her home unexpectedly after she had said she was no longer interested in pursuing the relationship further.
“I went on a couple of dates and the next thing I know he’s turning up at my house uninvited,” she revealed.
Winter described feeling unsafe as the person continued to arrive at her home multiple times, bringing unsolicited gifts.
“It was multiple times to the point that I felt unsafe. He might have been seeing this as a really romantic gesture, but to me I felt it was so weird and I felt so at odds with it.
“The first time, I looked out and saw him stood there and was like this is so weird. At this point I had already told him ‘sorry this isn’t going anywhere, I’m not feeling it, this isn’t something I’m going forward with’. And then he turns up at my house with a bread basket.”
Despite her clear communication that she did not wish to continue seeing him, he continued to be persistent, which led her to feel even more uncomfortable in her own space.
The situation escalated to the point where Faye had to involve her sister and her sister’s boyfriend for support.
“So the last time it happened I was at home alone. I had just got back from my holidays and I was sat on my sofa watching Emily In Paris and I saw him walking up my driveway. And I couldn’t believe it because he lived hours away from me, there was no reason for him to be in the area.
“And this one really did distress me because I rang my sister literally crying, ‘He’s here, he’s here again. Why the f*** won’t he leave me alone? What the f*** does he want?’
“And she and her boyfriend jumped in their car and came to my house. And he’d left a bone outside, I assume for Bonnie, but it was just a bit weird. So we put it in the bin.”
Thinking back on the experience, Faye said she hopes that she never sees him again, and that that if he were to find her new address, it would be of significant concern to her.
Winter’s account represents one of thousands of women facing the same kinds of situations in modern society, with the likes of social media and dating platforms making people more accessible than ever.
It sheds light on the potential dangers people face when re-entering the dating scene, and shows the importance of personal boundaries and safety.
According to Women’s Aid: “Stalking can be perpetrated by anyone, including intimate partners or ex-intimate partners, someone who wishes to be an intimate partner, family members, acquaintances and strangers.
“Stalking is now a crime under the Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2023.”
If you or someone you know needs help, the Women’s Aid 24hr National Freephone Helpline 1800 341 900 can support any victim of stalking – whether the perpetrator is a current or former intimate partner, or another person.
They can also support family and friends who are concerned about someone.
