Four signs Joey Essex and Jessy Potts had secretly split from separate future plans to solo holidays
JOEY Essex and Jessy Potts have split just seven weeks after leaving the Love Island villa.
The Love Island stars today confirmed the break-up exclusively to The Sun – with Jessy, 25, confessing: “It wasn’t meant to be.”
She and Joey, 34, have been plagued by continuous split rumours since returning to normal life after just missing out on the final in July.
But were the signs they’d failed to make their relationship work in the real world there all along?
Joey’s American dream
Shortly after leaving the villa Joey and Jessy made their first TV appearance as a couple on This Morning.
During the interview with Josie Gibson and Craig Doyle, former Towie star Joey revealed he was taking a break from UK reality TV to pursue opportunities Stateside – but there was no mention of Jessy joining him.
He said: “I feel like I’ve done every reality show possible now.
“I don’t think I’d really want to do Strictly. I’m just taking a break. I’ve got some opportunities over in America at the moment so I feel like I might maybe take it over there.”
Solo holidays
Both Joey and Jessy jetted off on solo holidays following their Love Island stint.
Joey headed to Ibiza with his cousin Chloe Sims while Jessy opted to fly to Marbella to soak up the sun.
Jessy’s future plans
Jessy also sparked rumours of trouble in paradise when she was asked about her future plans in an interview and failed to mention Joey.
Speaking to heat, she said: “I just want to make the most of everything, I’m the type of person who takes every opportunity as it comes.
“I would love to get more into fashion and just try to make the most of what I’ve got and take every opportunity and just run with it.”
She added: “I’m not sure exactly what’s to come yet but it’s all very exciting.”
Back to reality
Jessy also fuelled speculation when she confessed it had been “hard” to make her relationship with Joey work due to his established showbiz career.
She said: “I think it’s hard because you compare it to the other couples.
“They’re with each other 24/7, whereas we always knew it was going to be different because he’s catching up on his normal life, whereas for the rest of us we’re thrown into a new life.”
Joey Essex's famous exes
Sam Faiers – Joey dated Towie co-star Sam Faiers from 2011.
The pair were one of the original Essex duos, and were together on and off for three years before ending the relationship for good in September, 2014.
Amy Willerton – Joey was rumoured to be dating his I’m A Celeb co-star Amy Willerton in 2013, when they both appeared on the show together.
The romance soon fizzled out afterwards and Willerton, who won the title of Miss Universe Great Britain said she found it difficult.
Speaking to the Daily Star Sunday newspaper, she said: “The attention after we left the show was really hard for me. While Joey had a strong management team behind him, I didn’t really have anybody in my corner.”
Stephanie Pratt – Made In Chelsea star and US born socialite, Stephanie Pratt, dated Joey for three months.
They fell for each other while appearing in Celebs Go Dating and shared a steamy kiss in Joey’s swimming pool.
But he dumped her in October 2016 for making him “spend too much time in Chelsea”.
Lorena Medina – Joey met model Lorena Medina on MTV reality show Ex On The Beach in 2019.
Their relationship seemed to be going well after Joey showed her around his hometown of Chigwell in Essex. But the pair split in February 2020.
Lorena had moved into his home in Chigwell, Essex, in September 2019, but they had a furious bust-up after he was snapped entering singer Rita Ora’s home in the early hours of the morning.
Rita Ora – Joey’s ex Lorena revealed to The Sun that she dumped Joey after he spent a wild night out with Rita Ora early in 2020.
He was holed up for 13 hours in Rita’s mansion after the pair had tried to avoid being seen together by taking separate cars between venues.
However, the pair have denied that there was anything romantic between them.
Joey said: “We have known each other for years. She’s a nice girl but we’re just friends.”
Vanessa Bauer – Joey was rumoured to have had a brief romance with Dancing on Ice pro skater Vanessa Bauer during his stint on the hit ITV show in 2023.
Rumours of the pair’s relationship circled for months in the lead up to the show airing, with Vanessa exclusively denying the whispers to the Sun in November 2022.
The pair came runners-up during the final in March – and while it seemed like they were close on the show, it appeared to have fizzled out shortly after.
By May 2023, Joey confirmed he was single and said he could not see a future for them after the final.