Joey Essex plans career change after ITV Love Island boosts his profile
Joey Essex is hoping his Love Island appearance not only finds him the woman of his dreams but an acting career, too.
We can reveal the reality star, 33, set up two production companies just before entering the Majorcan villa.
He is described as an actor in documents for Top TT Ltd and Fusey Productions listed with Companies House. Sources close to the Towie favourite say he wants to try his hand at movies – both in front of the camera and behind.
One source said: “Joey’s in the villa for both love and loot. He wants to find The One but is also a shrewd businessman and sees the money-making potential. He’s tried many things but has yet to make the move into movies and he sees this as his chance.”
A photo of Joey Essex in TV Show Love Island
Joey has set up Top TT Ltd with best pal and fellow Towie star James ‘Diags’ Bennewith. But Fusey Productions is a sole venture, taking the name of Joey’s former clothing shop in Brentwood, Essex, which closed down in 2016. He also named an aftershave after the store.
Joey is known for his “reem” catchphrase and startling lack of general knowledge. But that has not stopped him amassing a fortune – he has a £1.6million Essex mansion and drives a Lamborghini. Joey trademarked his name in 2011 to stop others cashing in on his fame, but let it lapse after a decade.
In Love Island, Joey was forced to confront his past this week when ex Grace Jackson entered the villa. A drinking game stirred things up when Joey was asked to share a three-way kiss with two women – and he chose Grace, 25, and fellow bombshell Tiffany Leighton, 25.
A photo of Joey Essex and Samantha Kenny on their Love Island first date
He has also grown close to Scouse make-up artist Samantha Kenny, 26, since arriving as a bombshell on the ITV2 show. And this week, they took their romance to the next level with a first date, during which Joey tried to impress with his Spanish.
When he asked where the pair would live, Samantha told him she would move to Essex. But it could be Hollywood if Joey’s acting dreams take off.
He would not be the first in the family to make the move. His cousins, including Towie alumni Chloe Sims, are currently in LA where their reality series, House of Sims, is a huge hit.