Jess Wright has claimed her ex Joey Essex is ‘only on Love Island to have a laugh and meet lots of girls’ despite his pals claiming he is ready to settle down.
The former TOWIE star, 38, who shares son Presley, two, with her husband William Lee-Kemp, endured a brief romance with the TV star, 33, on 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 watched it, but I’ve obviously seen it all over [social media]. I think it’s great. I think Joey’s just so much fun. He might be, you know, 33 but he still is young at heart and he’s obviously single.
‘I didn’t actually know that he wasn’t getting paid, and that’s mad. But yeah, to be honest, that didn’t even cross my mind. I think he’s probably just interested in going in there having a laugh and meeting loads 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 pals claiming he is ready to settle down
Joey made a shock entrance on Love Island earlier this week and Jess told MailOnline what she really thinks of his intentions in the villa
Speaking of their decade-long friendship, Jess reflected on their stint on TOWIE, adding: ‘Obviously, I knew Joey on 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 out and about. It was obviously years and years and years ago.
‘I think I’ve been off TOWIE now for about I wanna say eight years, which is nearly a decade. So yeah, it’s crazy, but no, we all had fun on there. I really wish him [Joey] well. he’s he’s just a nice guy.’
Love Island bombshell Joey is ‘looking for a wife in the villa’ after signing up to the show for the ‘right reasons.’
Joey already has fame and 1.8million Instagram followers, with sources close to the TV personality saying he doesn’t ‘need’ the exposure.
Joey made Love Island history on Monday night when he became the first celebrity to join the cast of singletons, who are otherwise unknown.
According to insiders, Joey, who’s also starred on 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 are hoping the format twist will boost ratings and fans of Joey will engage with his love story.
The former TOWIE star, 38, endured a brief romance with the TV star, 33, on the ITV reality show in 2012 (pictured)
The duo locked lips many of times on TOWIE during their stint on the show
Love Island viewers slammed Joey’s kissing technique as he took part in the first racy game of the series on Tuesday night’s episode
She added: ‘I didn’t actually know that he wasn’t getting paid, and that’s mad. But yeah, to be honest, that didn’t even cross my mind. I think he’s probably just interested in going in there having a laugh and meeting loads of girls’
Jess shares son Presley, two, with her husband William Lee-Kemp (all pictured)
Love Island bombshell Joey is ‘looking for a wife in the villa’ after signing up to the show for the ‘right reasons’
Joey made Love Island history on Monday night when he became the first celebrity to join the cast of singletons, who are otherwise unknown
A TV source told MailOnline: ‘Joey has signed up to Love Island for all the right reasons.
‘He’s 33 years old and really wants to find someone he can settle down with, he wants a wife and to have children one day.
‘Not many people know the real Joey, over the years he’s hidden behind his reality TV persona but being on Love Island will give him the opportunity to show his true self.
‘He doesn’t need fame, followers, or the prize money… He’s excited to meet someone and can’t wait to start dating.’
Elsewhere in the interview, Jess spoke about her new partnership with WaterWipes newest campaign, When Life Plays Dirty.
WaterWipes are specialised 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, obviously you get all your bits and pieces you like, make sure you’re prepped and things like that and the wipes that I immediately chose before even like shopping around.
‘So for me, it was just really important because obviously when you have a baby, their skin is so sensitive at the beginning, you don’t wanna, like, irritate it at all, and you want everything to be perfect.
Elsewhere in the interview, Jess spoke about her new partnership with WaterWipes newest campaign, Life Plays Dirty – which specialises in wipes for babies with sensitive skin
Jess, who raved about the wipes, said: ‘It was just really important because obviously when you have a baby, their skin is so sensitive at the beginning, you don’t wanna, like, irritate it at all, and you want everything to be perfect’
She added: ‘They’re the purest wipes to keep skin like healthy and they’re gentle for, like, any skin type, so they can also get really good mess and clearing up like they’re actually very, very good at, like getting getting stains and and and wiping up all the mess’
‘WaterWipes was an absolute go to, and I’ve used them ever since.
‘So when WaterWipes realised this, we got chatting and stuff, that’s how it all came about.
‘They’re the purest wipes to keep skin like healthy and they’re gentle for, like, any skin type, so they can also get really good mess and clearing up like they’re actually very, very good at, like getting getting stains and and and wiping up all the mess.’
