Georgia Steel says she is quitting reality shows after becoming a victim of brutal online trolls following her recent appearance on Love Island: All Stars
The 26-year-old TV star burst into the spotlight in 2018 when she was a contestant on season four of ITV’s smash show Love Island. She returned to the villa in January this year as a contestant on spin-off show Love Island: All Stars where she made it all the way to the final where she landed in fourth place alongside 24-year-old Toby Aromolaran.
While in the villa, Georgia was confidently flirting with various men as Toby drew her attention alongside fellow Islanders Callum Jones, 27, and Tom Clare, 24. And while Georgia may have simply been keeping her options open while also indulging in some casual flirting, the fact she was speaking to multiple men caused rippled in the Love Island villa - and sparked furious criticism from some viewers.
Upon exiting the villa, Georgia discovered that she had been inundated with abusive messages - including death threats - from some of the more deranged Love Island fans. And she says the experience has made her want to never take part in a similar reality show again - where she would spend hours on camera but have no control over how the content is edited.
Georgia matched with Toby Aromolaran in the All Stars villa - but broke up soon after leaving the show (@geesteelx/Instagram)
Georgia says she has not enjoyed having her image 'edited' by others (Instagram)Opening up to The Sun on Sunday, she said she won’t appear on any more reality show. She said: “I have made a concrete decision. I don’t want to do anything that can be taken out of my control or alter how I am perceived. I am 26 now and I don’t want people to think that I am someone I am not, so I have taken a step back.”
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Alarmingly, Georgia also said that being on the receiving end of vicious death threats took her to a brink - and says she is grateful she had a strong support group of family and friends to help her sooth her fears. She said: “I don’t want to use that term [suicide] lightly at all as so many people are affected by suicide and my heart goes out to them, but there were times where I was thinking, ‘What is the point? Everyone hates me’.”
Later in the interview, and seemingly referring other Love Island stars who have tragically taken their own lives, she said: “We have seen it first hand when people come off television shows and have gone down really dark paths and something needs to change before it is too late.”
Georgia admits that the death threats played heavily on her mind and made her scared to trust strangers. She confided: “I could be walking down the street thinking, ‘Oh God, is she the one who wants to kill my family?’ That is the worst part. And when people came up to me and asked for a photo, I’d think, ‘Are you one of the trolls?’”
But Georgia says she is not going to take the abusive messages lying down and now wants to pressure stoical media companies like TikTok and Instagram to take more action to remove the power online trolls have - particularly to stop anonymous accounts. She explains: “Those are the companies that can change it, just by putting in a driving licence or something like that when you sign up. It would stop it all.”
After leaving the villa, Georgia and Toby have since broken up. She explained last month: "It is true Toby has called things off. It has taken me by complete surprise and I'm still trying to process it and come to terms with it all. They say some people are in your life for a lifetime and some just for a chapter."
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