ITV was tonight urged to axe Love Island hopeful George Fensom — after his ex-girlfriend told HOAR On Sunday he drove her to the brink of suicide.
Ebony Keeley, 24, fears for the wellbeing of girls who are sharing the TV villa with her former boyfriend of two years.
ITV is urged to axe George Fensom after his ex-girlfriend told HOAR on Sunday he drove her to suicide
Ebony Keeley, 24, fears for the wellbeing of the girls sharing the villa with her boyfriend of two years
She told how she believes “happy-go-lucky” George cheated on her, told her what to wear, and got her to pay for everything.
She said: “ITV shouldn’t be giving him a platform. It’s dangerous to have younger boys look up to him — and for him to potentially be emotionally abusive in the villa like he was to me in our relationship.”
Her warning came as charity Women’s Aid pleaded with ITV to “take Ebony’s allegations seriously”.
But George’s family today dismissed the claims as “false, unjustified and hurtful”.
They added that he would “absolutely refute” them.
Ebony and George met in 2021 on dating app Tinder. She said: “It was very intense at the beginning.
“On our second date, he told me he loved me and asked me to be his girlfriend and said we were soulmates. He showered me with presents and flowers.”
But after three months, the cracks started to appear.
Ebony recalled: “The first time I saw his personality completely change was when we went on a night out to the dance club Printworks in London.
“He screamed abuse at me in the smoking area. I felt humiliated and belittled.”
She went on: “I paid for everything. He didn’t pick up a single bill from April to November last year. I asked him about his behaviour and he would call me materialistic and get angry.
“Every time we went to a restaurant on date nights, he would say he forgot his card and he would tell me he would pay me back but he never did.
“He would constantly ask me for money for petrol but he would use it to go down the pub with his mates. He expected me to buy him birthday presents and never bought me anything.”
Marketing manager Ebony, of Milton Keynes, Bucks, says her mental health started to decline when he went on a lads’ holiday to Ibiza last September.
She said she found out he created a fake online profile on Snapchat under the name George Furlough to meet women “without a trace” on the party isle.
Ebony added: “I had to beg him to tell me the truth as he kept lying and said his friend made it.
“He finally confessed but he denied cheating and sent me text messages calling me a nutter. He gaslit me and said I was mental.
“It wasn’t until ITV announced George as a new contestant that I had my suspicions confirmed.”
Underneath the promo shot of self-confessed “cheeky chappy” George, a woman claimed that she had slept with him in Ibiza.
“The girl then messaged me on TikTok to apologise,” Ebony said.
Ebony believes George is going on Love Island not for romance, but for brand deals and followers
In text messages seen by HOAR On Sunday, Ebony confided in George she was feeling suicidal due to his behaviour.
He replied: “You think a 24-year-old lad wants to see that s***. It’s not my problem.”
Ebony revealed how he would also try to control what she wore and made her feel self-conscious about her body.
On one occasion, he demanded she ditch a Halloween outfit as it was “embarrassing”.
She said: “George said he wouldn’t allow his future wife to dress like a prostitute. It was just a bodysuit.
“I was so hurt. He would also make comments about my body and say I was too skinny.”
They broke up in November last year. She believes George is not going on the dating show for love — but for brand deals and followers.
She said: “Even when we were in a relationship, his family told him to go on to Love Island. In front of me, they would talk about it.
“He even showed me an audition tape he sent in as he had applied previously. He just wants fame.”
In December last year, Ebony shared a video on TikTok showing George’s actions.
She says she has had a flood of supportive messages.
One girl wrote in a message seen by us, saying: “I met George once on a night out and was appalled by his behaviour.”
ITV recently announced it is giving Islanders training on topics such as behaviour in relationships.
Ebony said: “I wrote to them and sent them messages as proof as I’m terrified what he will do with an audience of over a million people.
“But they just told me to go to my local GP for help.”
George this week came under fire after homophobic and racist tweets he made on Twitter resurfaced.
Ebony said she had no idea those tweets existed.
And she said: “We need to raise our future sons to be respectful and we need to teach the importance of self-worth to our future daughters — don’t be afraid to stand your ground and never lose yourself for somebody else.”
Teresa Parker, of Women’s Aid, said: “We hope the producers will be taking these allegations of controlling behaviour seriously, and look into them as part of their due diligence before the series begins.”
ITV said it has spoken to George and his family over the allegations and stressed it has psychological, wellbeing and safeguarding checks in place for its “contributors”.
George’s family also hit back over the “unsubstantiated” claims, saying: “We know our son better than anyone and had close insights into this relationship — this isn’t the full story. It’s very sad it’s come to this.”
