JOEY Essex has broken his silence on the Love Island fix rumours – and the bombshell video of him meeting Grace Jackson on Celebs Go Dating.
The former Towie star, 33, was the first ever celebrity bombshell to appear on the ITV2 dating show this year.
Joey narrowly missed out on a place in the final with his girl Jessy Potts, 25, after being brutally voted out by some of the ex Islanders.
Before that, he was smitten with former flame Grace, 25, who entered the villa as a bombshell during week two, and stole him off Samantha Kenny, 27.
Last week fans were left in shock when a bombshell video circulated which ‘proved’ Joey and Grace actually met on TV SEVEN years before Love Island.
Speaking exclusively to The Sun about their encounter, Joey said: “Was that the first series? I think we might have bumped into each other at that mixer and said hello or something like that.
“But at the time, I was already talking to someone else. So I wasn’t interested at the time.
“Until I see her later on in life, which was in Ibiza, and she told me then that we’d met before on Celebs Go Dating.
“She was like, yeah, I came on celebs go dating and blah, blah, blah. I didn’t remember.”
Some fans dubbed the ITV2 show the “Joey Essex show” after a number of his exes entered the villa.
Others were convinced that Joey and Grace were still together and had planned it all along.
When asked if he knew Grace was going to arrive, Joey said: “You never know who’s going in Love Island. You don’t know. How do you know?
“Even if articles was to come out, you still don’t know.
“There’s loads of people. Jessy was meant to go in last year. Do you know what I’m saying?
“People get leaked all the time and they don’t go in.
“So, no. But, you know, with her and the whole situation of people thinking that, it’s just like one of those things.”
Many compared the series to MTV‘s Ex On The Beach, where those taking part are met with their former flames on the show.
Joey was surprised in the villa by a number of people he has had a past with including Grace, Emma Milton and Lola Deluca.
However he had absolutely no idea that they were going to turn up.
The star confessed: “I didn’t realise that I was going to be going on a potential Ex on the Beach experience.
“Do you know what I mean?
“And if they did ask me for any exes, I would have said no.”
And the results are in!
Mimii and Josh – 41%
Ciaran and Nicole – 35%
Matilda and Sean – 14%
Ayo and Jess – 10%
