The Only Way is Essex paid an emotional tribute to Yazmin Oukhellou on Sunday’s episode, after the reality star suffered a horror car crash in Turkey, which killed her on-again-off-again boyfriend.
The TOWIE star, 28, suffered serious injuries in the crash and was taken to a wellness retreat in Marrakech, as she tries to recover two months after the tragic accident in Bodrum.
The ITV reality show began with a card reading: “Yazmin has been in a car accident and is recovering in hospital in Turkey.”
The show then opened on a group of the Essex stars gathered outside as they expressed their disbelief and ‘loss for words’ at what happened to Yazmin.
The group of reality stars then acknowledged the situation was particularly hard for Junaid Ahmed, as he broke down in tears and they rushed to comfort him.
He emotionally said: “No one gets it. She is more than a best friend to me. She's my sister and I can't help her.”
The show then cut to Courtney Green and Amber Turner in a car together, as Amber said: “I just can't believe it. It's so sad.
“It makes you realise there are bigger things that go on in the world that silly tit for tat arguments about nothing. Life is too short to worry about petty dramas anyway. I think this should change the way we think.”
The show then moved to an outdoor scene as James Lock sat on a bench, waiting for Jordan Brook, who recently returned to the show.
Lockie then spoke about his guilt at having blocked his ex-girlfriend Yazmin from messaging him in the days before her car crash.
He said: “I'm just shocked at what's happened to Yaz. It's mad. I can't really get my head around it, to be honest.
“From what I know, she's a lucky girl just to be alive. She's stable, in hospital, her family are there. It's scary. Puts everything in perspective.”
He continued: “She messaged me the other day and I blanked her and then I blocked her. As much as we don't work as a couple, we've always been there for each other.
“The only reason I blocked her is because I feel like we put strain on our other relationships where we've tried to move on. I wasn't being cold. I thought I was doing the right thing.”
Jordan replied: “You have been with the girl, you are going to care for the girl. If she calls you, just be there. You've done everything you can.”
After the scenes aired on ITVBe, Yazmin took to social media to respond to the tribute, saying it left her in tears.
She posted to her Instagram stories: “Just cried at tonight's TOWIE. Truly grateful for everyone's support. Shows how everyone pulls together when we need each other. Means the world. Life's too short.”
