Love Island star Samantha Kenny has hit back at trolls who branded her “fame hungry” and ” Trailer Super fan’ after she had an affair Joey Essex At the town.
The 26-year-old Liverpool native told MailOnline that she watched the ITVBe reality series as a teenager, but only for… Gemma Collins And if she had met Joey outside of Love Island, she “wouldn’t have batted an eyelid”.
Samantha was paired with Joey, 33, for two weeks before his ex Grace Jackson bombed onto the show, and she was forced to watch the exes rekindle their romance.
But after Samantha was kicked off the island, Joey’s attention quickly turned to newcomer Jessy Potts and Grace was left on the sidelines.
In an exclusive interview, Samantha said: “Now she knows how I felt. But at least Jessy went out on the terrace to kiss Joey, but she did it on the daybeds right in front of me. Now she’s had a taste of her own medicine.”
Love Island star Samantha Kenny has hit back at trolls who branded her “fame-hungry” and a “TOWIE superfan” after she romanced Joey Essex in the villa.
The Liverpool native told MailOnline she watched the series as a teenager but only because of Gemma Collins and that if she had met Joey outside of Love Island she “wouldn’t have batted an eyelid”.
Samantha was paired with Joey for two weeks before his ex Grace Jackson bombed onto the show, and she was forced to watch the exes rekindle their romance.
After Samantha was voted off the island, Joey’s attention quickly turned to newcomer Jessy Potts and Grace was left on the sidelines.
Trolls claimed Samantha was only interested in Joey because of his celebrity status and ridiculed her online after she confessed to being a TOWIE fan.
Samantha explained: ‘I went on Love Island expecting to meet Kev the carpenter but lo and behold Joey Essex walked in. I haven’t watched TOWIE for years but when I was a teenager I used to watch it because of Gemma Collins… I never cared for Joey, it was more GC and Bobby Norris, they’re iconic.
‘I know a couple of people from TOWIE anyway, so I didn’t think ‘Oh my God, there’s Joey Essex’, I thought ‘Oh my God, there’s Joey’, because he was on the show.
“If I’d seen him on a night out I wouldn’t have been surprised, but it was because he was on Love Island, which was very unexpected.”
Trolls claimed Samantha was only interested in Joey because of his celebrity status and ridiculed her online after she confessed to being a TOWIE fan.
She added: ‘People said I was starved for fame and that I was a fan of Joey Essex… no I’m not, I’ve been a Gemma Collins fan since I was growing up.’
When Joey rekindled his romance with Grace, whom he dated last year after the pair met on holiday, Samantha was left in tears.
She witnessed the couple passionately kissing in front of her, which caused her even more distress and upset.
Samantha said: “I felt horrible… what I wanted in two weeks he gave me in four hours. It wasn’t nice, especially as I was still there. I felt like saying, don’t forget about me, I’m still here. I’m just a girl after all, so whether we were out or on Love Island, it wasn’t the best situation.”
When Joey rekindled his romance with Grace, whom he dated last year after the pair met on holiday, Samantha was left in tears.
The reality star said Joey’s rejection of Grace gave the model “a taste of her own medicine.”
Joey was the first celebrity to enter the Love Island villa as a contestant in the show’s history, but Samantha believes producers shouldn’t make it a regular occurrence.
She says Joey acted differently to the other islanders because of his TV experience and believes bosses should “give someone normal a chance”.
Weeks later, Samantha has no regrets about not giving Joey a chance to clear the air, admitting that she wanted him to suffer the same way she did.
Joey attempted to make amends with Samantha after she was evicted from the villa, but she rejected his attempts.
Weeks later, Samantha has no regrets about not giving Joey a chance to clear things up and admits that she wanted him to suffer the same way she did.
She said: ‘No, I don’t regret it at all. I wanted Joey to feel bad. By the time I leave the villa, I definitely think I’ll laugh about it, I’m a big girl, I’ll get over it.
‘But in the heat of that moment, I wanted her to feel bad. I hope she does well… I would never wish anyone any harm; at the end of the day, I hope she finds love. I was true to myself and apart from Joey, there was no one else in the villa for me.’
Joey was the first celebrity to enter the Love Island villa as a contestant in the show’s history, but Samantha believes producers shouldn’t make it a regular occurrence.
She says Joey acted differently to the other islanders because of his TV experience and believes bosses should “give someone normal a chance”.
Samantha said: ‘I’m not going to lie… I think Love Island should stay the way it is.
‘I know they’ve brought in other Islanders before, but I feel like even with some of the guys, you could tell that Joey was different. I know you might not have perceived it that way, but he’s been in television for 13-something years, you could tell there was a difference…’
Despite her brief stint in the villa, Samantha has signed an ambassadorship deal with online brand Glamify Fashion and will launch her first collection with the retailer on Friday.
She says that since Glamify Fashion is a Liverpool-based company, the collaboration is a perfect match.
Despite her brief stay in the villa, Samantha has signed an ambassadorship deal with online brand Glamify Fashion and will launch her first collection with the retailer on Friday.
She says that since Glamify Fashion is a Liverpool-based company, the collaboration is a perfect match.
Samantha said: ‘They got in touch with my manager while I was in the Love Island villa and obviously it’s a Scouse brand and I get to represent Scouse girls. I’m really excited about the launch.
‘It’s absolutely amazing and I feel like I’ve just signed a contract with a brand after only being in the villa for two weeks. I couldn’t be happier.
Modelling her new summer clothing range, Samantha says her favourite pieces are a sheer leopard print maxi dress and a colourful co-ord, perfect for holiday.
She added: “I really love the leopard print dress because I think it can be worn for smart or casual occasions, for holidays, at beach clubs, but also for a night out.”
- Samantha’s collection will be available to shop on Glamify Fashion’s website starting Friday at 7 p.m.
