Love Island UK star Priya issues public apology over ‘job-shaming’ comment that sparked backlash
Topics: Love Island, TV And Film, ITV
Greg Harris
Featured Image Credit: ITV
Topics: Love Island, TV And Film, ITV
Love Island star Priya has shared a public apology after her comments about Elicia's job sparked backlash.
On Wednesday night (22 July), reality TV fans watched on as Priya, a business development manager, appeared to take aim at former bombshell Elicia and her job as a team organiser at National Rail.
Sitting with Mica, Kavan, Jasmine and Aidan, the group discussed opinions coming from outside the villa and Elicia's comments on After Sun, which was shown during the Grafties. Elicia called Priya the 'biggest game player' in the villa.
"I don’t care what Elicia says. I don’t care. It’s cringy. Go back to the National Rail," she raged.
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"Elicia, you work for the National Rail, why are you f**king sitting in After Sun?" Priya jabbed.
Speaking up, Kavan interrupted Priya by informing her: "There’s nothing wrong with working for National Rail, alright?"
Priya then doubled down: "But just go back there and save your breath."
After catching light of Priya's 'disgusting' comments, Love Island viewers rushed to social media to share their reactions.
One X user slammed: "Priya just basically said 'You work in a railway, you shouldn’t be on TV' right then."
A second commented: "'Go back to the National Rail' may seriously be one of the most disgusting things said on Love Island, get Priya off now."
Meanwhile, a third chimed in: "That comment was so uncalled, especially how she was calling Elicia bitter?"
During an appearance on Aftersun alongside Aidan after the pair were dumped on Friday (24 July), Priya made a heartfelt apology to Elicia and said her statement was ‘completely out of line’.
She said: “I really let the feelings in there over seven-to-eight weeks that were bubbling up of emotion. I think [the] fellow Islanders can also vouch for the fact that when you get to seven or eight weeks in there, you are just like, ‘wow’. It’s the feelings, the emotions that get very, very heightened and I think it was very out of hand for me and I came on a bit of smoke because of that.”
Priya said she regrets the comments and emphasised she wants to ‘publicly apologise to Elicia’ because it was ‘completely out of line’ and ‘completely out of character’ and I do regret saying that.
Before Priya could say more, host Maya Mama wrapped up the segment and lightened the mood by stating, “big up the National Rail - we’re gonna leave it there.”
Elicia, who was recently dumped from the villa, already addressed the ordeal on Love Island: The Debrief with former Love Island stars, Shakira Khan, Toni Laites, and Yasmin Pettet.
"I'm really surprised by the bitter and jealous comments because her reacting the way she did seems quite bitter, about the fact that I called out what everyone else is thinking," Elicia said.
"The thing that we clashed with in the villa is any opinion that anybody had that could affect the way that she was viewed or that she didn't necessarily agree with; that was it.
"Like, she shut it straight down.
"I think that's where, as well, like, the game player card would probably be her."
While Malia takes the crown for the shortest stint on Love Island, it’s certainly one to remember.
In 2016, she entered the villa on day seven and took Scott Thomas on a date. However, the move didn’t sit well with Kady McDermott, who was coupled up with him.
The pair came to blows when Malia accused Kady of spilling a drink on her, leading to an explosive altercation, which resulted in Malia’s swift removal just hours after she arrived.
Maura had her sights set on bombshell Tom when he rocked up to the villa two weeks into the 2019 series.
However, it was quickly derailed after she selected him to spend a night in the Hideaway, as he blew his chances before they even got there.
Maura overheard Tom telling the boys, ‘it'll be interesting to see if she is all mouth or not’, and the comment went down exactly as you’d expect.
Amid a whole bunch of (understandable) f-bombs, she revoked her invite and the pair never really recovered from it.
Perhaps one of the show’s most iconic clashes, Jonny and Theo butted heads back in 2017 over a love triangle with Tyla Carr.
It came to a head during a tense recoupling when new boy Theo decided to pick Tyla, who was happily coupled up with Jonny.
The shock move resulted in Jonny calling Theo a ‘gigantic b*****d’ before they squared up to each other. Theo hilariously also branded his rival a ‘tuna melt’.
While the two eventually made up, Theo couldn’t help but throw one last dig when Tyla was in tears as Jonny was dumped, saying: “I think if Tyla really liked him she should go as well really.”
Not long after Jordan asked Anna to be his girlfriend, he confessed to fellow islander Curtis Pritchard that his head had been turned by bombshell India Reynolds.
Anna soon found out and confronted Jordan in an explosive row, shouting: “What kind of guy asks a girl to be their girlfriend and two days later they crack on with another f***ing girl.”
She immediately called time on their relationship and the pair were soon dumped by the public.
The pair were initially considered one of the strongest couples of the 2019 series (which seems to have been full of drama); however, that all came crashing down after the infamous Casa Amor.
Even though Curtis came back to the villa alone, he admitted that his head had been turned by Jourdan Riane and couldn’t promise Amy that it wouldn’t happen again.
She called him a ‘compulsive liar’ and was left heartbroken, eventually deciding to leave the villa to protect her mental health.