JOEY Essex showed his vulnerable side in a Love Island reunion with his nan Linda and sister Frankie Essex – leaving the trio blubbering in the villa.
Yet they weren’t the only Towie stalwarts to shed a tear as the emotional scenes played out.
Demi Sims, 27 – who is Joey‘s younger cousin – watched the scenes unfold at home and was equally touched.
She took to her Instagram Stories to upload an image, taken from her telly, showing Joey embracing his loved ones in a hug.
The farewell embrace came after Frankie set him off when she told the hunk how their now-deceased mother would be “proud” of him, and how their “daddy” was watching on from home.
Demi posted the emotional caption which read: “Watching my family on TV like this making me cry damn.
“The cutest.”
She then tagged both laughing and crying Emoji icons to round off her post.
In another slide, she confessed: “Gonna squeeze Joey when he gets out.”
She then put: “So lovely to watch.
“I’ve looked forward to this all day.”
After his family time, things got a little trickier for Joey as he came face to face with show parter Jessy Potts parents.
Jessy’s straight-talking dad Matthew was eager to flag how special Jessy is, while her mum took him to task about his conduct surrounding ex Grace Jackson, 25.
This left fans convinced Jessy’s loved ones – particularly parent Julie – didn’t like the reality TV star at all.
Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, fans were all in agreement about Julie’s feelings towards her daughter’s fling.
Love Island is back on the box with a batch of sexy islanders all looking for love this summer.
The Girls
The Boys
Dumped:
Quit:
One viewer wrote: “Jessy’s mum HATES Joey!”
Another added: “Jessy’s mum is not a fan of Joey. She don’t like him!”
Yet the drama didn’t stop there for the cheeky chap.
As he wandered around the villa while Grace was reunited with her parents, the model’s dad called him over for a chat.
The awkward meeting played out just hours after fans had accused Joey of “bullying” the blonde bombshell.
