Jess Wright reveals what she really thinks about ex-boyfriend Joey Essex going on Love Island after his pal insisted wants to find a wife
Jess Wright has claimed her ex Joey Essex is ‘only on Love Island to have a laugh and meet lots of girls’, despite his friends claiming he is ready to settle down.
The former TOWIE star, 38, who shares son Presley, two, with husband William Lee-Kemp, embarked on a brief romance with the TV star, 33, during the ITV reality show in 2012.
And as he made a shock entrance on Love Island earlier this week, Jess told MailOnline what she really thinks of his intentions in the villa.
In an exclusive interview, she said: “I haven’t seen it, but obviously I’ve seen it everywhere [social media]. I love it. I just like Joey so much. He may be 33, but he’s still young at heart and he’s clearly single.
“I actually didn’t know he wasn’t getting paid, and that’s crazy. But to be honest, that didn’t even occur to me. I think he’s probably just interested in going in there, having a laugh and meeting a lot of girls.”
Jess Wright, 38, has admitted her ex-boyfriend Joey Essex, 33, is ‘only on Love Island to have a laugh and meet lots of girls’, despite his friends claiming he is ready to settle down
Joey made a shocking entrance to Love Island earlier this week and Jess told MailOnline what she really thinks of his intentions in the villa
Speaking about their decade-long friendship, Jess reflected on their time on TOWIE, adding: ‘Obviously I knew Joey from TOWIE and we were all kids and young and everything else and times moved on.
“I haven’t seen Joey. Actually, I think I’ve seen him before. Obviously it was years and years and years ago.
‘I think I’ve been away from TOWIE for about eight years now, that’s almost ten years. So yeah, it’s crazy, but no, we all had fun there. I really wish him [Joey] Good. he’s just a nice guy.’
Love Island bombshell Joey is ‘looking for a woman in the villa’ after signing up for the show for the ‘right reasons’.
Joey already has fame and 1.8 million Instagram followers, with sources close to the TV personality saying he doesn’t ‘need’ the fame.
Joey made history on Love Island on Monday night when he became the first celebrity to join the cast of bachelors, who are otherwise unknown.
Insiders say Joey, who has also starred in I’m A Celeb, Dancing On Ice, Ex on the Beach and Celebs Go Dating, wants to ‘settle down’ and find someone he can start a family with.
And ITV bosses hope the format twist will boost ratings and fans of Joey will delve into his love story.
The former TOWIE star, 38, had a brief romance with the TV star, 33, on the ITV reality show in 2012 (pictured)
The duo locked lips on TOWIE many times during their appearance on the show
Love Island viewers praised Joey’s kissing technique as he took part in the series’ first spicy game in Tuesday night’s episode
She added, “I actually didn’t know he wasn’t getting paid, and that’s crazy. But to be honest, that didn’t even occur to me. I think he’s probably just interested in going in there, having a laugh and meeting a lot of girls.”
Jess shares son Presley, two, with husband William Lee-Kemp (all pictured)
Love Island bombshell Joey is ‘looking for a woman in the villa’ after signing up for the show for the ‘right reasons’
Joey made history on Love Island on Monday night when he became the first celebrity to join the cast of bachelors, who are otherwise unknown
A TV source told MailOnline: ‘Joey signed up for Love Island for the right reasons.
‘He is 33 years old and really wants to find someone he can settle down with, he wants a wife and children one day.
“Not many people know the real Joey. Over the years he has hidden behind his reality TV persona, but being on Love Island has given him the chance to show his true self.
“He doesn’t need fame, followers or prize money… He’s excited to meet someone and can’t wait to start dating.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Jess spoke about her new collaboration with WaterWipe’s latest campaign, When Life Plays Dirty.
WaterWipes are specialized for sensitive skin and are made with just two ingredients. 99.9% water and a drop of fruit extract.
Jess, who raved about the wipes, said: “So when you have a baby you obviously get all your bits and pieces that you like, just make sure you’re prepared and stuff like that, and the wipes I got right away picked before I even liked shopping around.
‘So for me it was just really important, because when you have a baby, obviously the skin is so sensitive in the beginning that you don’t want to irritate it at all, and you want everything to be perfect.
Elsewhere in the interview, Jess spoke about her new collaboration with WaterWipes’ latest campaign, Life Plays Dirty, which specializes in wipes for babies with sensitive skin.
Jess, who raved about the wipes, said: ‘It was just really important because when you have a baby, obviously the skin is so sensitive to begin with that you don’t want to irritate it at all, and you want it all. To be perfect’
She added: ‘They’re the purest wipes for keeping skin healthy and they’re gentle on all skin types so they’re also really good at getting rid of messes and cleaning up like they’re actually really, really good at it like getting stains and cleaning up all the mess’
‘WaterWipes came highly recommended and I have been using them ever since.
“So when WaterWipes realized this, we started talking and stuff, and that’s how it all came about.
“They’re the purest wipes for keeping skin healthy and they’re gentle on all skin types, so they’re also really good at getting rid of messes and cleaning up like they’re actually really, really good at getting spots and and and cleaning up all the messes.”