Joey Essex has claimed Love Island signed him to bring the drama in the villa as he speaks out on claims he received preferential treatment on the show. 

The TOWIE star, 33, caused speculation among ITV viewers during the competition as they questioned if he was only brought in to ruffle some feathers and bring some much needed drama to the villa.

In a new interview with The Sun Joey admitted that he would ‘switch it on’ when the villa needed spicing up  – and was reportedly directed to deliver specific scenes.

He told the publication: ‘We’re all there to find love but there needs to be a journey, there needs to be drama – so, you know, I had to be that guy.

‘I’d switch it on, I’d do my scene, if I was involved in someone else’s stuff it’s because I’ve been pulled in and dragged into that situation.

Joey joked: ‘To carry the show on and keep it going, I was needed in a lot of situations to help the storyline progress.

‘I mean, I need a medic right now because my back is killing me because I carried that show so hard.’

He also implied that one challenge, which involved him kissing Nicole Samuel in front of his love interest Jessy Potts, was orchestrated by producers.

During the series Joey was seen actively poking his nose in both Mimii Ngulube’s and his ex Grace Jackson’s situations in particular. 

However Joey has refuted any claims that he was a bully and insisted he was told to speak to certain people to create drama and keep storylines moving. 

He added that he didn’t have much time off in the villa as he was put in by producers for the purpose of fuelling the drama. 

The reality star narrowly missed the final after he and Jessy were voted out by their fellow islanders during Sunday’s episode. 

And Joey admitted that it was a ‘savage’ dumping and he found it hard to take, despite his experience in reality TV. 

He added that he would advise producers to never put a young islander in the position they put him in as it was a hard way to leave the villa, and he was luckily able to deal with it due to his resilience. 

ITV has been contacted for comment. 

For a while Joey insisted he wasn’t given any special treatment during his time on Love Island because he was already a celebrity but it was revealed soon after he left the show that he did. 

Joey, who was introduced as a ‘bombshell’ in the first week of the show, was  ‘promised the final’ before entering the show, MailOnline revealed this week. 

He was reportedly furious when he was sent packing on Sunday night’s show, but Joey also insisted to The Sun that he never intended to win, and if he had wanted to win the show he would have played it very differently and not so safe.  

Sources close to the show told MailOnline that the former TOWIE star was given ‘two to three hours’ of time a day out of the villa which he spent with producers and away from the cameras.  

Insiders have  also previously said Joey was given flowers by the production team to hand to the eventual winner Mimii after he was slammed for his behaviour towards her and her partner Josh Oyinsan. 

In an episode last week, Joey was seen giving Mimii a bunch of flowers to apologise to her after previously arguing with her during a challenge. 

However, ITV have now said: ‘Joey has not been treated differently at all at any point of the process both pre, during and post featuring on the series. We completely refute any claim as all islanders are treated equally.’

Upon entering the villa, ITV producers previously stated: ‘Joey is being treated like any other Love Island contestant, he’s playing by the same rules and won’t be given any preferential treatment.

‘He hasn’t been paid an appearance fee or any money at all for signing up to the show, not a penny.’

Just this week it was reported Joey, who is already worth £8 million, is set to earn a whopping £250,000 with a club tour following his Love Island dumping.

It came after it was revealed that he wasn’t being paid any more to be on the show than the other contestants – which is around £375 a week.

During the final episode on Monday night fans claimed they saw him looking ‘furious’ and ‘bitter’.

Viewers admitted they couldn’t help but notice his unimpressed facial expressions as the cameras paused on him during the show. 

They speculated that he wasn’t happy he didn’t make it to the final with Jessy, 25, after leaving the villa just one day prior.

Whilst on the show Joey was called ‘arrogant’, ‘problematic’ and ’embarrassing’.

One episode even received 120 Ofcom complaints because of his behaviour towards former contestant Samantha Kenny.

Meanwhile, Mimii Ngulube and Josh Oyinsan won Love Island series 11 in a tense finale on Monday night.

Host Maya Jama announced that the couple had received the highest percentage of the public vote and will take home the £50,000 cash prize. 

Mimii, 24, and Josh, 29, have made Love Island history as the first black couple to win the show since the rebooted version of the series began in 2015.

The couple were in the final with Nicole and Ciaran Davies, Matilda Draper and Sean Stone and Jessica Spencer and Ayo Odukoya.

Jessica and Ayo finished in fourth place while Matilda and Sean were awarded third position in the reality show competition.

Nicole and Ciaran were the runners up in the final, as viewers ultimately voted to crown Mimii and Josh as their winners.

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Source: New York Post