“I felt like everyone hated me”: Georgia Steel speaks out on the online trolling she received during her time on Love Island

On March 31, 2024, Love Island's Georgia Steel spoke to Sky News about her experience with online critics during her time on the show. She explained that she had to take a break from social media because of the extreme abuse she received online while living in the All Stars villa.

The 26-year-old participated in the fourth season of the popular ITV dating program in 2018 and made a comeback for the All Stars edition. During her time on the show, her family managed her account, and they were forced to issue a statement denouncing the "vile threats" they had been the target of.

“I don’t think anyone can kind of prepare you for that,” she told Sky News.

She further said:

“I felt like everyone hated me.”

Georgia and Islander Toby Aromolaran were placed fourth on Love Island: All Stars in January 2024.

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Georgia Steel opens up about the online trolling and abuse she faced

Reality personality Georgia Steel recently claimed that when she was on Love Island: All Stars, she, her family, and friends received threats. Although Steel found it difficult to discuss the trolling she received while on the show, she believed it was a problem that needed to be addressed.

The reality star gained popularity through Love Island in 2018. With millions of followers on Instagram, TikTok, and other platforms, she made a comeback in January 2024 to participate in a new All Stars edition of the show in South Africa.

This is where she faced online abuse. Speaking with Sky News on the harassment, Georgia Steel said:

“You don’t really know how to process that if I’m honest, you’re quite scared, you don’t know if the whole world hates you."

She further stated:

“My family and my friends, they had death threats. My mum got messages like, ‘How could you raise a girl like this?’ Yeah, which is awful, because like in reality... I just want to make the people that support and love me proud.”

She was at the center of attention following reports that she had allegedly flirted with someone who wasn't her partner at the time. She then reportedly got together with another contestant, Toby Aromolaran, after he allegedly abruptly ended his public relationship and expressed interest in Georgia Steel.

She also added that her family and management team, who were monitoring her social media accounts while she was isolated from the outside world, felt compelled to intervene and share this post because the response had been so harsh.

Moreover, after other videos demonstrating Georgia Steel's relationships with various competitors were shown during the PDA Awards, she came under more criticism for her actions on the show.

At the time, an ITV spokesman stated:

"We would always urge our viewers to be kind when engaging in social media conversations about our Islanders, and to remember that they are real people with feelings."

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Before Georgia Steel was given back her phone, the majority of the texts were erased to protect her from the severity of the abuse. She sobbed upon hearing the words her loved ones thought were important to share with the world.

ITV implemented a social media restriction last year in response to internet harassment that the Islanders had to deal with. For the returning participants, the rules allowed their friends and family to write on their accounts while they were staying at the villa.

Georgia believed it was the right choice. In an interview with BBC on February 29, 2024, she said:

"I'm already on social media and it's my way of life. I don't think it's necessary to take that away from me."

Georgia Steel rather believed that more needs to be done to prevent misuse.