DIVA caught up with the Masseria’s certified “gent in female form” to learn more about her time in the Masseria
BY ELLA GAUCI, IMAGES BY BBC / TWO FOUR / JAMES STACK
It’s safe to say that we are officially missing the I Kissed A Girl (IKAG) summer already. No more Masseria, no more snogging, and no more themed parties where someone inevitably gets pulled for an intense chat. What are we supposed to do with ourselves?
One of the stars of the second, and last, season of IKAG was Essex girl Elise. Initially coupled up with Faye, Elise quickly realised that she couldn’t keep her eyes off Elisha. Although the pair seemed completely loved up in the Masseria, they revealed after the show ended that they had gone their separate ways but remained friends.
From dropping the L bomb to donning the Bend It Like Beckham Keira Knightley headband, we catch up with Elise to find out more about her time in the Masseria.
Why did you choose to go on IKAG?
I don’t really have a queer community around me. I come from quite a straight, heteronormative background. I actually applied for the first series and then didn’t get very far at all. For the second series, someone reached out about it, and I thought, “Why not?”
What was it like to find that queer community in the Masseria?
It was beautiful to see how we all just gelled so quickly. We all had that common ground of coming from the community. People are so educated about things, and I felt a bit uneducated, to be honest. So I was just learning from all of them, and it was really nice.
What did you learn about yourself on the show?
Probably to calm down a bit! Take a breather. You don’t always have to be the loudest or the funniest. But also, in the same breath, it’s a beautiful way to be. I’m quite critical of myself, and I think I need to stop doing that so much. It’s nice to wear your heart on your sleeve.
What has it been like to see the response to the show?
It’s been crazy. It’s been so long since it was filmed, so I was just getting back to normal life, and then BANG! You’re taken all the way back to September. I remember in the first few weeks people were commenting, and I was reading every single one, thinking about them before bed – it got quite toxic. It’s hard not to read stuff that comes on your feed. Most of the negative stuff has stopped now.
What would a show like this have meant to your younger self?
If I had something like this when I was younger, I would have been able to relate to someone on my screen. It would have shown me that I can be like them in that way, because otherwise they wouldn’t be on my TV! It’s an incredible show, and we need more of it. We can’t be silenced. Far too loud!
It looked like you all shared clothes in the Masseria – what was that experience like?
I love fashion. I tried to take as much as I possibly could [to the Masseria], but we were all still sharing clothes. That was so wholesome. To be honest, I’ve never had that because all of my friends are so straight, so I can’t borrow anything they wear. It was so nice to still experience those girly things, but as a masc.
You and Elisha are no longer together. Could you tell us what happened after leaving the Masseria?
I genuinely couldn’t have gotten through [the show] without Elisha because of her support and how amazing she is. But the show isn’t real life, and I didn’t realise that. All those feelings that you watched were very much real. But I came out of the Masseria feeling like a newborn child. I feel like I forgot how to live, and I was a shell of a person. Because of that, I retracted myself. It had nothing to do with her – or even with us. It was just a feeling I couldn’t shake, and I didn’t want to be around anyone. It’s a shame because we had such a beautiful relationship in the Masseria, but we both look back and know that it’s the right decision. There’s still so much love there, and there’s literally no bad blood. I’m in my self-care era. I’ve always been dating someone, but now I’m in an alone era where I go on my own journey.
As the last season of this franchise, how does it feel to be part of its legacy?
Legacy seems like such a grand word, but it is a legacy. Now that I have a platform, I will do more for the community. I always say, “Be forever loud, forever proud.” I don’t think I’ve always been the loudest or the proudest, so I’m going to try to be that a bit more.
You can watch all episodes of I Kissed A Girl on BBC iPlayer.
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