TV personality Joey Essex has been dumped from Love Island a day before the final along with his partner Jessy Potts.
Essex, who rose to fame on The Only Way Is Essex (Towie) before appearing on a host of reality shows, entered the dating series as the show’s “first celebrity contestant” and was voted out by the other hopefuls.
The islanders said he and Jessy were the “least compatible couple”.
He has previously been on the UK and Australian editions of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! along with the show Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, Celebrity MasterChef, Celebs Go Dating and Dancing On Ice.
Essex said: “It feels good to be leaving, I feel like I had an amazing run in there, went through the full cycle of emotions you get in the villa, and if you have to leave, you might as well go out with a bang… It’s my birthday on Monday so feels like I’m going out at a good time.”
During his stint, he flirted with Harriett Blackmore, Samantha Kenny, his ex Grace Jackson, and other women before coupling up with Leicester brand partnerships associate Jessy, saying he “fancied her straight away”.
The returning Islanders have sealed Joey and Jessy’s fate, as they become the next Couple to be dumped from the Island 😢
Swipe to see the results of the vote👀 #LoveIsland pic.twitter.com/TsUV9YqBqu
— Love Island (@LoveIsland) July 28, 2024
Essex said: “I could tell we had an instant connection and she was a bit of me. We had something that was quite strong, and hopefully proved that to people by sticking with each other throughout Casa and right up to the end.”
When asked if he had any regrets, he said: “With Samantha, perhaps it would have been better if we’d drawn a line under it earlier on and just focused on having a friendship.
“With Grace, I don’t feel like there were any hard feelings but as I’ve said it was difficult living with an ex while getting to know someone else. Generally though the two of us were always cool.”
However, he acknowledged that “some people might be sceptical considering how my earlier connections in the villa ended up but ultimately the show is about finding a true connection and the best connection possible and that’s what I did”.
He added: “Ultimately it is nice to walk out with someone who has meant a lot to me throughout my time on the show.”
Asked what is the first thing he will do on returning to Essex, he said: “Visit my friends and family, maybe apologise to a few for keeping it a secret from them, and then crack on with life Joey Essex style.”
The finalists include four couples and contestants such as Ciaran Davies, a surveyor from Pencoed, South Wales, Ayo Odukoya, a model from Canning Town, Nicole Samuel, an accounts manager from Aberdare, and Sean Stone, a salesman from Herford.
Love Island The Live Final airs on Monday at 9pm on Virgin Media Two and the Virgin Media Player.
By Charlotte McLaughlin, PA Senior Entertainment Reporter
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