Dumped ‘Love Island’ star Joe Garratt hopes he still has a chance with Lucie Donlan outside of the villa.
The 22-year-old sandwich maker is still hopeful that the 21-year-old surfer who he was coupled up with before his exit from the ITV2 reality show on Tuesday (18.06.19) still wants to be with him and he hasn’t ruled out the "possibility" of returning to the show to see the blonde beauty.
He said: "I would love to get more time with Lucie in there.
"It is such an amazing experience and when you’re doing it with someone you care about its just perfect.
"I would never rule out the possibility of going back in. "I met somebody who I fell for so I have already won that in that sense.
"I would love to go back in and see her.
"I think that would be really nice and I think she would love that."
And even if Lucie – who was previously partnered with boxer Tommy Fury, who is now coupled with influencer Molly-Mae Hague – gets couple up with another guy, which she has admitted she is open to, Joe says he will still have her back, although he is confident they will have a "future" after the show ends.
He added to The Sun Online: "I will always support Lucie, I had such a good time with her in there.
"I would love to think she can have experience in there and then we can have a future when she comes out. That is the dream.
"I will stay true to myself and wait to see how it all plays out and hopefully we can reunite and build a future."
Joe also admitted he wouldn’t have survived in the villa without Lucie and would have probably quit the show, but he doesn’t want her to do that for him.
He continued: "I would have found it really hard without her in there so I would have left but I spoke to her and she is there for an experience as well.
"As I said, I will wait and hopefully we can reunite when she comes out. I don’t want her to quit."
Joe expressing his loyalty to Lucie comes after he admitted he won’t apologise for making her cry in the villa.
More than 600 ‘Love Island’ viewers complained to Ofcom about his behaviour.
The hunk was dumped after the public voted him out, following hundreds of Ofcom complaints which were filed by viewers who claimed he was "controlling" his partner Lucie after he told her she should make friends with the other girls rather than the boys.
Joe said he was "gutted" viewers perceived his actions as abusive, and insisted he was only "trying to help her" because she was having "a hard time" on the show.
But Joe won’t apologise for his actions, as he is adamant he simply "worded things wrong" and never meant to hurt Lucie’s feelings.
He added: "I am not going to say sorry. I may have worded things wrong and the cameras are on you 24/7. I may have slipped up a bit but I am only human. I am young and inexperienced so maybe some things have come out differently to what they are. I just hope people can see me for who I genuinely am and what I genuinely am. I am not that person."
‘Love Island’ continues at 9pm on ITV2 and Virgin Media Two.
Love Island’s Joe Garratt still hopeful for future with Lucie Donlan
