JOEY Essex dreaded one ex walking into Love Island – but it wasn’t Grace Jackson.
The reality TV king has given his first interview to The Sun after leaving the famous telly villa.
He spent six weeks in the Majorca pad with his ex Grace, 25, and it wasn’t all sunshine and kisses.
They clashed after his head turned for Jessy Potts following a brief rekindling with Grace.
Joey’s willpower was tested again when the Love Island Gods chucked in stunning Lola Delulca.
He met the Surrey model in Ibiza the year before and had slid into her DMs.
Through a crop of beauties thrown into his path, Joey stuck firm with Jessy.
He and his villa girl were later voted off by dumped Islanders who had returned in a sneaky twist to get their revenge.
Now he’s spilled the tea on his time in the show and told The Sun he would have hated to live with one secret ex.
Joey told us: “I wouldn’t have liked to see an ex who you probably don’t know about.
“The exes you don’t know about are the exes who I was more serious about.
“Probably one of my most recents. She wouldn’t have come in though!”
In his pursuit of love Joey made some ‘mad moves’ but is now happily “exclusive” with Jessy.
He officially shut down his romance with ex Grace after just one date with the Cheshire stunner.
He added: “Me and Grace were fizzling out, you know, I was backing off at the time, I was like, nah, this ain’t working.
“I really liked Grace but it never worked before on the outside of the villa for a reason.
“And there was a time in the villa when I thought, ‘I’m not going to find anyone. They’re not going to have anyone for me.’
“So, when I did see Jessy and she blew me away, that was my chance to then just go for it.”
Before that he ditched Samantha Kenny to reconnect with Grace, and faced a backlash from the Islanders and the public as a result.
Joey has worked on a string of ITV shows since Towie, including I’m a Celebrity, Dancing on Ice, Splash! and Educating Joey Essex.
And the results are in!
Mimii and Josh – 41%
Ciaran and Nicole – 35%
Matilda and Sean – 14%
Ayo and Jess – 10%
And the showbiz pro has told us who he is betting on to follow in his footsteps from the 2024 Love Island cast.
He said: “To be honest the only person I see doing like some television, who has got a bit of personality, is probably Ronnie.
“I think he will be snapped up quite quickly. Because he didn’t care too much about going in tehre and sitting on the fence.
“He said a bit more, he had a laugh. I was gutted (when he left).”
