During the Love Island 2026 finale, contestant Priya addressed her earlier comment about fellow Islander Elicia's job at the National Rail, which had been labelled 'classist' by viewers.
The Comment and Backlash
Priya, a 25-year-old business development manager, had told Elicia to 'go back' to her job at National Rail during an Aftersun segment, sparking criticism. Kavan, Jasmine and Mica laughed at the remark, while the RMT Union reshared the video with the message: 'Rail workers and proud.' Trainline also responded with a tongue-in-cheek TikTok clip, captioned 'Come for Elicia, come for us all'.
Apology and Finale
Priya later apologised on Aftersun, calling it 'completely out of line' and 'catty'. During the finale, host Maya Jama asked Priya if she wanted to say anything directly to Elicia. Priya then explained: 'It was obviously not meant to be a job-shaming comment. At the end of the day, I was telling you, go back to your day job and kind of keep my name out of your mouth. That was where I was coming from. It has nothing to do with where you work. I sell eye drops for a living. You could have worked at Boots. You could have worked anywhere.'
Elicia responded: 'I feel like a few years back, I'd have probably reacted the same way, shouting and going about that. So, I sort of understand the reaction. I'm proud of my job and I work my a*** off. There's no hard feelings; we've swept everything under the rug. She's an amazing person!'
