Joey Essex has come out fighting after being criticised for his much-talked about stint on this summer’s Love Island series.

The former Towie star, who turned 34 shortly after being voted out of the villa with Jessy Potts before the live final, was accused of “faking” his feelings for her and also for receiving special treatment because of his celebrity status. He was also accused by some fans of gaslighting, and displaying other “red flag” behaviour.

But in a new exclusive chat with OK!, the Essex native said that categorically wasn’t the case. “Listen, if that was special treatment – with the journey that I’d been on – I’d love to know what the worst treatment was!,” he hit back.

Joey didn’t agree with the criticism he received during Love Island 2024 (Image: Alex James)

He continued, “You know what I mean? In this day and age in television, it’s so different to how it was 13 years ago when I started out. You can’t say or do anything. I wore a cap back to front at the final, which I thought looked reem, but I was told I shouldn’t have worn a back-to-front hat. It’s the way it is now.”

Joey finished up in a couple with Jessy and despite being voted the “least compatible” pairing by their fellow islanders, the two are loved-up and back at home.

Discussing the accusations that he wasn’t genuine with his feelings about his now exclusive girlfriend, Joey insists there wasn’t any truth to them.

Joey and Jessy are now official and exclusive (Image: Alex James)

“If anyone focused on just me and Jessy as a couple, and not all the other drama, you’d see we were very genuine in the villa,” he shares. “From the minute I met Jessy, I never looked any other way. There were no red flags with each other. We were tested the most out of everyone, but we came through it.

“We took our time, had fun and enjoyed each other’s company. We weren’t jumping to make decisions because the next bombshell was coming in, or because it was Casa Amor, we did things our way. We played it correctly. We weren’t in it to win it. We just wanted to be together.”

Jessy has high hopes for her new romance with reality star Joey (Image: Instagram/@joeyessex)

His girlfriend Jessy, 25, has also dismissed the claims, saying the pair have a “genuine connection” and “we both know how we feel.

She also had – and still has – the full support of her family back home in the UK.

“I think my family really liked Joey, actually. I think they know not to trust news reports or comments because it’s not who Joey is. They know I’m not going to choose someone who’s a bad person or with bad intentions, and, from what they’ve seen, they like him.”