Joey Essex's sister Frankie 'didn't have a clue' he signed up for Love Island
Joey Essex didn't tell his sister Frankie Essex he was entering the 'Love Island' villa.
The former 'TOWIE' star left his sibling guessing whether he was joining the ITV2 reality series, as she suspected that was the case because when he went MIA.
Frankie - who has twin babies, Luella and Logan, with partner Luke - told The Sun: “I didn’t have a clue, but I did guess it because I just couldn’t get hold of him. I just couldn't fathom it out.
“I was thinking this is so weird. And it was only because his agent said, ‘I’ll ring you tomorrow’ that suddenly I just thought ‘he must be going on Love Island’. But then as the episode was going on I just thought 'no, it can't be', and then I forgot about it."
This week, Joey was the first celebrity bombshell of the current series, and his sister insists he has good intentions.
She said: "Joey is proper single at the moment. But he’s seen me with the babies, and they just love him, they sit on his lap, and he just looks at them and goes 'they’re unreal. I just feel like it’s his time now to settle down."
Joey himself explained he has become so desperate to find love.
The reality star – who entered the programme at the end of Monday (03.06.24) night’s episode – shared how bosses launched a “military operation” to keep his arrival in the series secret, telling the newspaper: “I feel like Joey Bond, ‘the names Essex, Joey Essex. It felt like a military operation, not even the journey itself but the process of even getting through the application process and to this point.
“I got on the plane to Ibiza, I made sure I still wore my mask when I went out for dinner, and then we got the boat over to Majorca to a villa hidden in the mountains in the middle of nowhere.
“I’m extremely single right now, so I’m praying that I’m going to walk out of the villa hand in hand with the love of my life, that’s my main aim and all I care about.
“It’s difficult for me to meet girls on the outside as they judge me based on a persona so I think this experience will allow for people to see the real me.”
He added about his quest for love: “I just want someone to like me for me and now from what they see on TV.
“This is exactly why I’m going into the villa because you’re disconnected from the rest of the world and can focus on what actually matters on a far deeper level.”
He was previously engaged to Sam Faiers, 33, on ‘TOWIE’ before he quit the show after they split.
Joey has also dated ‘The Hills’ regular Stephanie Pratt, 38, with his most recent romance with his ‘Dancing on Ice’ skating partner Vanessa Bauer, 28, in 2023.
A day after Vanessa confirmed that they were dating, MailOnline confirmed that they had gone their separate ways.
