Love Island star Harriett Blackmore has addressed the controversy over a video that has gone viral on social media.
The contestant, who was recently confirmed for the new series of the ITV2 show, is seen in the clip intervening as a person filming tries to confront a man with his face covered over his alleged behaviour. Blackmore repeatedly says he is a "Premier League footballer".
Blackmore was asked about the situation ahead of the start of Love Island, and said she hadn't seen the video due to being unable to access her phone.
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"If you guys have seen it you can obviously see all I'm trying to do is diffuse the situation," she told media (via RadioTimes.com).
"It was actually one of my really good friends who is in the public eye, he's a football player. And these fans and, like, people were sort of antagonising him."
The contestant claimed that she and her friends were "just trying to enjoy our night" and thought it wasn’t "fair" that a person was recording and "putting cameras in his face".
"There is nothing really to say about that. I was just trying to mediate the situation [and] get them away from him," she added.
Related: Olivia Attwood responds to new Love Island cast announcement
Meanwhile, ITV has responded to accusations on social media that Blackmore has a 'secret' boyfriend, confirming that she and her boyfriend split earlier in the year.
"Harriett broke up with her partner of three years in January, and has been single since then," the broadcaster told The Mirror. "The pair have maintained contact but the relationship ended at the beginning of the year."
Blackmore, who hails from Brighton, has a background as a dancer and personal shopper, and said ahead of her stint on the show that she hopes to "bring the entertainment for everyone in the villa".
Love Island airs on ITV2 and streams on ITVX.
Sam is a freelance reporter and sub-editor who has a particular interest in movies, TV and music. After completing a journalism Masters at City University, London, Sam joined Digital Spy as a reporter, and has also freelanced for publications such as NME and Screen International. Sam, who also has a degree in Film, can wax lyrical about everything from Lord of the Rings to Love Is Blind, and is equally in his element crossing every 't' and dotting every 'i' as a sub-editor.
