ITV2 Love Island's Joey Essex 'bans' fellow contestants from doing one thing

Joey Essex has reportedly put a stop to Love Island contestants referencing The Only Way is Essex. The 33-year-old, who made history as the first celebrity to join the civilian version of the ITV2 dating show this season, grew tired of the constant mentions of the ITVBe reality series in the villa, according to recently evicted Islander Patsy Field.

Speaking to Closer magazine's online edition, the 29-year-old office administrator revealed: "Everyone was quoting 'TOWIE'. All of the girls were quoting 'TOWIE'. Joey put us on a 'TOWIE' quote ban at one point and said, 'We're going to need to drop it now.' "

However, Patsy defended their quoting habit, explaining they weren't mocking Joey - who initially paired up with Samantha Kenny before moving on to Grace Jackson - but rather paying tribute to Gemma Collins, 43, a reality TV icon.

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She continued: "But we couldn't help it, and we said, 'We're not actually quoting TOWIE, we're just quoting The GC.' She is a living legend, so can you blame us really? "

Joey, who has featured on numerous reality TV programmes including Dancing on Ice, I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!, Celebs Go Dating and more, made headlines when he entered the Love Island villa as a surprise bmbshell on opening night.

Despite his celebrity status, he isn't receiving any preferential treatment on the Maya Jama-hosted show. An insider revealed to MailOnline: "Joey is being treated like any other Love Island contestant, he's playing by the same rules and won't be given any preferential treatment." You can keep up to date with the latest TV and showbiz news by signing up to the newsletter here.