Joey Essex targeted by ‘stalker who sent him 100,000 texts and threatened to shoot girlfriend Jessy’-Pierra Willix-Entertainment – Metro

Joey Essex is being ‘targeted by a stalker’ (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)

Joey Essex has turned to the police for assistance after ‘receiving 100,000 text messages’ from a woman who has also ‘threatened to kill’ his girlfriend.

The former The Only Way is Essex star, 33, appeared on the most recent season of Love Island, where he narrowly missed out on making the final with girlfriend Jessy Potts, 25.

However, a few weeks after leaving the villa, Joey has now claimed he’s been targeted by a stalker.

The sinister messages he’s been receiving on social media include the woman threatening to ‘shoot the s***’ out of branding executive Jessy.

The woman has also labelled Jessy a ‘flat sl**’ and ‘b****’.

After the messages became more serious, Joey and his team decided to report the incidents to the police.

The reality star has ‘received over 100,000 text messages’ from a woman (Picture: ITV/ Shutterstock)

‘We have had to take the decision to report the stalker to the police because the messages have started to become more threatening,’ he said.

‘I love my fans and want to be able to talk to them online but there has to be a line somewhere and sadly this is it,’ he added when speaking to The Sun.

As well as sending Joey countless private messages, the woman has left hundreds of comments on  his social media posts.

They include the rant ‘just call me annoying again that’s what you get your insecure in yourself’.

She has also threatened his girlfriend Jessy Potts (Picture: ITV/ Shutterstock)

She also told Joey to ‘sort your insecurity out’ and ‘find your own friends’.

A source close to the reality star also told the publication: ‘Joey loves his fans and being able to engage with them online so is used to receiving messages.

‘Of course, they’re not always nice and he does get trolled, but after being in the public eye for so many years he’s got used to dealing with that side of it.’

The couple met in the Love Island villa on the latest season of the reality show (Picture: Jay Firth/ Backgrid)

However, they said when he was in the Love Island villa, Joey’s team ‘noticed a real uptick in messages’ from one user in particular and ‘most of it is nonsense’.

They added that since he met Jessy the messages had ‘grown increasingly frightening with some targeted, physical threats and it’s become cause for concern’.

Although Joey came under fire from Love Island viewers during his time on the series, as well as sparking complaints to Ofcom, he said on the finale he had ‘no regrets’.

Since first appearing on Towie in 2011, Joey has appeared on more than 15 reality shows, including Celebrity Ex on the Beach, I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! and Dancing on Ice.

Love Island is streaming on ITVX.

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