One of the biggest talking points of this year's Love Island so far has been the rocky relationship between 22-year-old catering company owner Joe Garratt and 21-year-old model, Lucie Rose Donlan. Whilst the couple were early favourites to win the show, Joe has since been subject to heavy backlash due to his perceived 'controlling' behaviour.
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Unsurprisingly, Joe's mum Rachel has leapt to her son's defence, telling the Mail Online: 'I know my son and he’s not like how he’s being portrayed. Both myself and his sister are his best friends. He doesn’t emotionally control anyone. What has been said in the newspapers today is just sheer rubbish, that is not my boy.'
She also slammed domestic violence charity Women's Aid for their statement about Joe's behaviour on the show, saying: 'They never contacted us. This charity, which is so interested in women’s protection, have made two women very upset and uncomfortable. His sister is devastated by all this and so am I.'
On the news of Joe's exit from the villa, his friends - who have been running his Instagram account whilst he was in the villa - have spoken out too to address the backlash that Joe is set to receive. However, they weren't entirely defensive of their friend.
Check out the video above to see exactly what Joe's mates had to say!
