The Essex life of TOWIE star Joey Essex as he enters Love Island villa ‘to find future wife’

Joey Essex, the former The Only Way is Essex star, made his debut on Love Island last night (June 3), which left viewers stunned. He entered the long-standing reality show as its first celebrity contestant.

The 33-year-old was born in Southwark, London, before his family moved to Chigwell, Essex, where he spent most of his life. After a break-in at his £3m mansion in 2022, Joey moved to Dubai.

He was seen heading to the Burj Al Arab to meet with officials, who gave him an Esaad card to mark his "new home". The card provides holders with deals to save money across education, health, restaurants and entertainment.

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It seemed like Essex was going to stay in Dubai, as he even put his mansion on the market to rent for an eye-watering £13,000 per month. However, Joey jetted back to the UK this April, interlaced with trips to various other countries in past months.

We're now waiting to see if Joey is returning to the UK for good, as he's been revealed as a bombshell ready to stir things up in the Love Island villa. In the meantime, let's take a closer look at Joey's life away from the spotlight. Essex attended West Hatch High School in Chigwell. He left school in 2006, having received a U in Drama, a C in Art and a D in Wood Tech at GCSE.

Ten years later, as part of a television series, he added a D in GCSE General Studies. However, he said: "I still don't really know what GCSE stands for."

Joey faced a tragic start in life when he lost his mother Tina to suicide when he was 10-years-old. Tina took her own life in 2001 after battling depression in silence, leaving Joey and his siblings oblivious to her suffering.

Essex first appeared in TOWIE as a supporting cast member in the second series with his cousin Chloe Sims but was promoted to a main cast member in the third series.

That was Joey's first experience of having his relationships documented on camera. He first fell in love with fellow TOWIE cast member Sam Faiers back in 2011, and their romance played out on-screen for viewers to see.

Their relationship was on and off for over three years, with Joey even proposing on the show. However, the engagement was short-lived, and they ended their relationship for good while on a TOWIE group holiday in Marbella in 2014.

Apart from his tumultuous relationship, Essex also became known for his catchphrase 'reem'. In 2013, he even launched a hair products range called ‘Joey Essex: D'Reem Hair’ and opened his shop Fusey in Brentwood. Unfortunately, the shop closed in 2016.

Joey Essex has experienced many ups and downs in his life, and now he's ready to embark on a new chapter at Love Island as its first celebrity contestant. His arrival in the villa was teased at the end of the first episode of the new summer series, so be sure to catch the next episode tonight.

Love Island continues on ITV2 at 9pm tonight.