21 June 2024 , 15:40
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Joey Essex’s Love Island ex- Samantha Kenny says watching the series back has been “horrendous”, days after he caused her to be dumped from the villa.
Former TOWIE star, 33, callously recoupled with his ex-girlfriend Grace Jackson, 25 on Tuesday, which meant that Sam lost her place on the show. Makeup artist Samantha, 26, believes Joey knew that Grace was due to arrive, and believes he was holding out to recouple with her from the start.
Complaining that the reality TV star shied away from any public displays of affection with her Sam said: “He never liked me. “I’m hurt – it has been horrendous watching it back.” Although a former TOWIE fan she insists she never had a crush on Joey while growing up.
She has been surrounded by her family in Liverpool after leaving the villa in tears in emotional scenes aired which saw her refuse to speak to Joey, who she accuses of selfishly trying to clear the air for his own benefit. The pair had spent two weeks coupled up together and sharing a bed until their short fling came to an abrupt end as soon as Grace, who he started dating last year when they met in Ibiza, arrived in the villa.
Samantha believes that Joey had an idea Grace was entering the villa (ITV)Grace’s name had been leaked prior to the series starting, and Sam believes Joey was holding out for her arrival, hence his lack of physical affection with her. “I think he knew she was coming in,” says Sam. “The first chat me and Joey had, he expressed that he was really into PDAs and things like that - I got none of that.
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“I knew straight away. And as a young girl or as anyone, you get your back up and you’re like, ‘There’s something wrong. This is off.’” Sam claims that in scenes that were not aired Joey said to her: “I don’t want to PDA with you because we don’t know who’s coming into the villa.” She added: “I was just a bit like, ‘Is that not what you are here for? Why are you holding back if you have a connection with someone? Because you’re waiting for the next best thing?’
Joey has certainly not held back with Grace, snogging her in full view of Sam who was in floods of tears. Sam said: “When it did happen, I thought to myself, ‘Wow. Trust your gut because your gut never lies.’” While Sam was understandably “fuming”, her mum Lynne was incandescent - posting to Joey on social media that he had “ruined” Sam’s time in the villa, with a heartbroken emoji.
“My mum is angry,” says Sam. “I’m her baby girl. She’s seen me crying my eyes out on national television.” However, Sam says Joey merely cast a “shadow” on her time in the villa, where she made “friends for life” in Jess White, 25, and Nicole Samuel, 24. Now, having watched back the footage of Joey telling people he just saw her as a friend, despite telling her they were the “strongest couple” in the villa, Sam feels different.
“The night it ended I was fuming, devastated,” she says. “I’ve done myself proud - I’m strong and mature,” But she has set her sights on a dramatic return to the villa, and hopes she is given the power to dump Islanders of her choice. “I’ll dump them,” she laughs of Joey and Grace.