Love Island host Caroline Flack has spoken out to deny reports she snubbed former contestant Francesca Allen on Sunday night’s Aftersun.
The presenter was accused of deliberately not hugging the Islander after her interview, with many Twitter users and media outlets linking this to the fact Francesca had supposedly once called her a “dirty paedo”.
Earlier this month, a tweet posted in 2012 by one of Francesca’s friends was unearthed, in which they boasted about making the slur to Caroline during a day out at Wireless Festival.
Referencing Caroline’s famous former relationship with singer Harry Styles – who was 17 years old to her 31 when they dated – Paigey Banks tweeted: “Highligh of the dayyy seeing Caroline Flack and calling herrr a dirtyy pedo withhhh @francesca_allen hahaha.”
However, Caroline has denied claims she “snubbed” Francesca at the end of the interview, when she was seen darting off to the other side of the studio.
She tweeted: “As you know ... I hate commenting on stuff... I didn’t snub Francesca .. infact quite the opposite .. made her feel very welcome as soon as she got to the studio.
“I don’t hold grudges.. and the wellbeing of our islanders is important to me. Thought she was a great islander,” she added.
A rep for Francesca previously told The Sun of the tweet: “This was a historic tweet that has not come from Francesca directly.
“Francesca can’t reply as she is in the villa but she would be mortified if she was judged based on the actions of a 16 year old friend.
“She has a lot of respect for Caroline and is looking forward to meeting her.”
Caroline previously wrote in her autobiography about how she would often be called a “paedophile” in the street during and after her relationship with Harry, who she began dating in 2011.
She said: “It began to go wrong when Harry was pictured coming out of my house one morning. And once that was out, it was open season.
“After that, anyone could say anything. In the street people started shouting at me ‘paedophile’ and ‘pervert’.”
Defending their age gap, she added: “I’ve never felt I was much older than Harry. I still feel 18 and I probably act that way half the time.”
Francesca was dumped from the villa along with Michael Griffiths on Sunday night, when their fellow Islanders failed to save them when it was revealed they were one of three couples who’d received the least public votes.
Love Island continues tonight at 9pm on ITV2.
