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Reality star Joey Essex may have entered the Love Island villa looking for a fresh start, but it appears his past relationships are catching up with him.
At the end of Thursday night’s episode (14 June), it was announced that three bombshells would be joining the show – and Joey was quick to notice one of them was his ex-girlfriend, Grace Jackson.
As he spotted the blonde 25-year-old strutting into the villa, Joey said, “Oh my god,” before telling the boys: “I used to see that girl.”
The pair reportedly dated for six weeks but the relationship ended badly when Joey put a pause on the relationship because it was becoming too serious.
It’s expected that Grace, who is a model, is in the villa to get answers out of Joey, and will test the connection between Joey and his current Love Island partner, makeup artist Samatha Kenny, who he is coupled up with.
A source told MailOnline: “Joey dated Grace for six weeks and she was less than impressed by the way their relationship ended.
“There’s definitely some unfinished business between them and she isn’t going to hold back in expressing how she feels in the villa.
“Despite pursuing her, Joey ended up dumping Grace, which left her feeling very confused.
![Joey Essex looked shocked when he saw his ex-girlfriend walk into the villa](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/06/14/07/Screenshot%202024-06-14%20at%2007.27.07.png)
“She’s drop dead gorgeous, and Joey is bound to regret the way he treated her, not to mention the pressure it’s going to put on his new romance with Samantha.”
Speaking before she entered the Love Island villa, Grace, who is from Manchester, said she was perplexed by men she had previously dated because they had “no communication”.
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“I like someone who doesn’t take themselves and life too seriously.
“My lifestyle can put guys off a little bit, I like to go out and go abroad a lot. They can’t keep up with my lifestyle. It’s the life that I want, and it helps with my business,” she said.
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“To sit in and be single, I can’t understand why I would do that in my peak and my mid-20s.”
On Wednesday night’s episode, Patsy Field and Munveer Jabbal were dumped from the series as their co-stars chose to send them home out of three couples who received the fewest votes from the public.
When Joey arrived in the villa for this season’s premiere, the rest of the contestants were taken aback by his presence – as he is the first celebrity to compete in the show. Joey, the self-proclaimed king of Essex, said he was ready to find his Queen while on the show.
“This isn’t my first rodeo,” the former Celebs Go Dating contestant continued. “Boys, you better watch out – I’m coming for your girls.”
Love Island airs Sunday to Friday on ITV2 at 9.00pm.