Joe Garratt has been defended on a social media post, with criticism of the contestant branded “unfair”.
Lucie Donlan and Joe were dramatically separated after sharing a kiss in the Love Island villa.
An Instagram post on behalf of Joe has said he was framed within a “certain narrative”.
The show delivered a twist with one contestant from each of the two least compatible couples selected for safety.
Lucie was reduced to tears following her partner being sent home from the villa, and confessed her feelings about Joe.
She said: “I’m gutted. You could clearly see that me and Joe had feelings for each other.
“I don’t know what I’ll do without Joe. He’s literally been my rock in here.”
Joe promised he would be waiting for the surfer on the outside.
Their romance had drawn criticism from viewers for alleged controlling behaviour on Joe’s part, with complaints being lodged with media watchdog Ofcom.
Representatives on behalf of Joe have posted on Instagram in defence of the contestant, saying producers’ selective footage will always show those on Love Island in a particular light.
However, the social media post did make clear that some of the criticism would be “warranted”.
The post read: “Speaking on behalf of Joe’s best friends, we acknowledge Joe will come out to some warranted criticism.
“However, we deem the majority of it to be unfair and non representative of Joe’s true character.
“The producers have the ability to show someone in a particular light, choosing just 45 mins of footage from 24 hours to tell a certain narrative.”
The pair shared a kiss just before Joe was voted off Love Island by a public vote, after their couple was judged to be among the least compatible by their fellow islanders.
Joe and Elma have been dumped from the Island and emotions are running high… 😢 #LoveIsland pic.twitter.com/tV66HAtsPV
— Love Island (@LoveIsland) June 18, 2019
Anton Danyluk was saved by the public vote after his coupling with Elma Pazar was deemed to have similar trouble.
An emotional Anton said: “I’m still here an I’m so grateful and happy to be here. But I’ve lost my best mate in the villa.”
Curtis Pritchard and Amy Hart remain in the villa along with Tommy Fury and Molly-Mae Hague, Amber Gill and Michael Griffiths, Yewande Biala and Danny Williams, Anna Vakili and Jordan Hames, and Maura Higgins and Tom Walker.