Love Island stars have expressed their heartbreak over Ellie Chadwick's dramatic exit from the villa, following the dumping of her love interest Finley Maddock. Speaking exclusively to The Mirror at the ITV2 Reality Showcase in London, former islanders shared their thoughts on the emotional scenes that aired on Thursday night.
Charleen Murphy Reflects on Ellie's Journey
Charleen Murphy, 27, who was dumped from the villa after 30 days, said: "Her journey was definitely with him and it made sense to finish it with him but it was sad to see her go." Ellie had been enjoying a blossoming romance with Finley until bombshell Elicia entered the villa, causing Finley to switch his attention.
Lola Dean and Sean Fitzgerald Weigh In
Lola Deal, who recently left the island with Sean Fitzgerald, was not surprised by Ellie's exit. "Not if Fin was leaving. She really, really likes Fin, and it was always a thing that if he was going, she was going. So as soon as he was voted out, I think we knew she was going," she told The Mirror.
Sean Fitzgerald added advice he would have given Ellie: "I would've told her to probably just weigh up how much you were gonna take of him switching what he was gonna be doing. He does really like her. They talked about their future together and everything, and she's probably a bit further along with how much she likes him. She's had a longer journey, she's gone through all the other relationships she's had. When he says he owes it to himself to get to know other people but he does really like her."
Shakira Khan's Emotional Message
Former Islander and current Love Island: The Debrief host Shakira Khan said: "I wasn't surprised she left, I just wish she knew how loved she was on the outside and how supported she was."
Ellie's Emotional Exit
When Finley was voted out by his fellow contestants, Ellie simply said: "It's fine. It's done." But she then whispered: "I can't do it. I'm going," and promptly burst into tears. Ellie insisted there was no one else who would enter the villa who would make her as happy as Finley had and begged her co-stars to stop arguing over their decision. She said: "Who is gonna walk through these doors and I'm gonna have a connection in two weeks like I did with you? F*****g leave it, stop arguing. I'm going. You've done what you had to do so I'm going so please don't f***g argue with each other." She then reassured Lorenzo that she had made peace with her decision and was looking forward to seeing her family.
Viewer Reactions on Social Media
Reacting to the news, viewers flooded social media with their opinions. One wrote on X: "Why would Ellie do this for a boy? She could have recoupled and still win. Everyone loves her over here. Why would you do this for fin?" Another said: "They know Finley was using Ellie as a free ticket to the final. That was the ideal outcome tbh." A third added: "To be honest, if Ellie wants to leave, they should let her go and stop trying to make her stay. Crying over a guy who found you boring and moved on the way he did with Elicia?? The show isn't about her."
