JOEY Essex had a bone to pick with Love Island bosses after his brutal axing from the ITV2 show.
He said he confronted producers over his savage exit where a returning jury of ex-Islanders rounded on him.
In his first interview since leaving the show Joey, 33, told The Sun he even felt that he was a “producer plant” as the first celebrity bombshell to enter the villa.
He did everything he could to entertain, using his vast reality TV experience to stir drama which saw some viewers brand him “a bully”.
So when he was dumped with a crowd of Islanders hurling grievances at him in a biblical style punishment, he admitted he felt betrayed.
It was a “what the hell?” moment for the TV king.
He said: “If you want to talk about bullying – in that moment, the finger pointing at me, it not being about compatibility at all, it was all personal, all towards Joey, and sit there and take that.
“You know, if there’s one bit of advice I could give producers is never put a rookie, a young Islander or anyone, in the position that I was in when I got dumped on Love Island, because it could have been a different story.
“You’ve got to remember, I’m a human. I’ve got feelings. I’ve got heart.
“That was very savage. And it was very, very difficult to take. It hurt a lot.
“But luckily, I’m very resilient and I’m very strong minded. And I’ve got a brave face.
“They know someone like me with a strong mind can take it, that’s why I was put in that position.”
Asked if he’d had a word with bosses after filming, Joey went on: “Yeah of course. It’s like, why did you do that? Could have got me out a better way!
“I wasn’t there to ever win. You know, if someone wants to win, they don’t do the journey I did. You go a different way about it.
“I just was there to entertain, find love and have a great time.”
Joey was axed just one day before the final.
During his stint on the show he raised eyebrows with his antics, with hairy moments like confronting Stormzy’s mate Omar over him snogging Grace, and slamming Mimii for her “secret mission” to win back Ayo.
He also left Samantha Kenny devastated when he ditched her for Grace Jackson – before his head swivelled for Jessy Potts.
Questioned on if he was the producers’ man on the ground, Joey told us: “I was put in a situation where I had to do what I had to do.
“I’m there for a reason. I’m in Love Island to entertain.
“I didn’t really have much time off… I was very, very busy, active.
“I mean, do your readers actually think that I would go up to a girl in a challenge and kiss her in front of her boyfriend, whilst the girl that I actually have feelings for is stood next to her?”
Love Island’s bosses have been transparent that the show has produced elements since the first series in 2015.
And Joey has worked on a string of ITV shows since Towie including I’m a Celebrity, Dancing on Ice, Splash! and Educating Joey Essex.
His experience means he’s built up a Maximilian-style armour to withstand backlash.
And the results are in!
Mimii and Josh – 41%
Ciaran and Nicole – 35%
Matilda and Sean – 14%
Ayo and Jess – 10%
Reflecting on viewers turning on him over his clash with Mimii, who went on to win Love Island with bombshell Josh, he said: “Don’t get me wrong, you’ve got to take it, whatever you say or do is what you’ve said and done.
“It’s just that I was dragged into conversations.
“You’ve got to remember the fact that I’m 33, and everyone else in there is younger.
“But it’s just me and a fellow Islander having a disagreement. That’s all it is.
“Like I said, if I sat in there and just sat by the pool with Jessy and Grace and just sat there eating an ice cream all day, or just stuck with the first person who picked me, they would have gone, ‘Joe, you’re quite boring, ain’t he?’
“I’d have entertained no one. The show would have been boring.”
