Joe Garratt has been dumped from the ‘Love Island’ villa following almost 800 Ofcom complaints about his "controlling" behaviour.
The 22-year-old sandwich delivery man was the subject of hundreds of complaints when his partner Lucie Donlan broke down in tears after he suggested she spend more time with the girls in the infamous villa, rather than the boys.
And on Tuesday’s (18.06.19) episode of the ITV2 reality show, Joe was sent home after two pairs – Joe and Lucie and Elma Pazar and Anton Danyluk – were voted by their fellow islanders as the least compatible couples.
The public were then tasked with voting for one person from each couple to dump from the villa, leaving Lucie and Anton devastated as Joe and Elma were told by host Caroline Flack that they would be going home.
Lucie, 21, was left in tears by the decision, and said she was "gutted" to now be in the villa by herself.
She said: "Just gutted. Because you could clearly see me and Joe and feelings for each other."
And despite the complaints against him, Joe can see a future with the surfer beauty.
He said: "I’ve definitely fallen for [Lucie]. I do hope there is a future for us. Me and Lucie definitely had a lot more to give but it is what it is. You have to take it."
Joe’s dumping comes after he branded Lucie’s close friendships with the other males in the villa as "strange", prompting hundreds of complaints.
Speaking about her friendship with Tommy Fury, Joe said to her: "I’m not happy with it. It’s strange. I think it’s time for you to get close with the girls."
And the complaints sparked praise from Adina Claire, co-chief executive of domestic abuse charity Women’s Aid, who hailed the public for spotting the signs of "unhealthy behaviour".
She said: "Controlling behaviour is never acceptable, and with Love Island viewers complaining to Ofcom in record numbers about Joe’s possessive behaviour towards Lucie, more people are becoming aware of this and want to challenge it.
"Abusive relationships often start off with subtle signs of control, so it’s important that it is recognised at an early stage.
"’Love Island’ viewers are now very vocal in calling out unhealthy behaviour between couples on the show, and this is a positive development."
Joe Garratt and Elma Pazar dumped from Love Island villa
