Judi Love slams 'disgusting' treatment of Nella Rose on ITV's I'm A Celebrity

04 December 2023 , 10:26

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Judi Love slams 'disgusting' treatment of Nella Rose on ITV's I'm A Celebrity

Judi Love expressed concern about "disgusting racist and body-shaming" comments targeted at Nella Rose.

I'm A Celebrity contestant Nella was targeted by trolls after disagreements with fellow jungle campmates Fred Sirieix and Nigel Farage. Judi has since warned about the treatment of Nella, reminding people that she is just a young woman experiencing something huge by appearing on one of the biggest reality shows in the country.

"It was an eventful week on I'm A Celebrity... and I was sad to see Grace Dent and Jamie Lynn Spears both leave – I still haven't got a favourite to win yet," she explained. "The controversy around Nella Rose has been difficult, and it's painful to read the disgusting racist and body-shaming comments online."

Judi Love defended Nella Rose on ITV's I'm A Celebrity (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

In her weekly column with OK!, Judi added: "It's crazy that people forget she's a young woman immersed in one of the biggest reality celebrity shows in the UK. Let's hope that over the next few weeks we get to see more of the contestants living their true unedited experiences! Oh, and I am so here for the Rochelle love stories from Marvin."

It comes after Nella's family broke their silence after he co-star fallouts. The confrontation between Nella and Fred was arguably the biggest talking point of the opening week of the ITV show's latest jungle series. During a fiery exchange between the duo, Nella hit out at First Dates' Fred over comments she felt were "disrespectful" and "offensive" amid several heartbreaking losses in her family.

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A gobsmacked Fred profusely apologised at the time, but Nella insisted she would not speak to him for the remainder of her time in the competition. Ofcom later revealed the spat had led to 862 viewer complaints in the wake of the episode.

Judi says Nella's online treatment has been 'disgusting' (ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

Fred's seemingly innocent remark came whilst he was cooking dinner for camp – a time in which he declared he was old enough to be Nella's father. It didn't go down well, however, as she responded: "I don’t want to eat no food that you’re cooking, don’t talk to me, you stay over there, I stay over here and we can live."

Later in the series, Nella clashed with former UKIP leader Nigel Farage on two occasions – on immigration and cultural appropriation matters. The first subject saw Nella tell the politician she "wouldn't be here" without a freedom of movement, before a flustered Farage claimed he "can't win" after not being allowed to dress as a Mexican for fancy dress.

Now, a relative of Nella has revealed the family's pride in the star's achievements, despite a number of viewers trolling her online for her "overreaction" towards Fred. The relative told MailOnline: "All of Nella’s siblings and other members of her family, wherever they are in the world, are watching her in the jungle – and praying that she wins.

"We are very proud of her achievements, it’s amazing what she’s done. She is showing the fighting spirit of the Congolese people and we are all with her." Nella and her brother Albert were forced to leave their North London flat just 30 days after their mum, Eseho Omolongo, passed away suddenly in 2016. The siblings have also had to cope with the loss of their dad, Kamango Paul Hollela, four years later.

They continued: "There is a lot of love for her as we are a caring Congolese family even though we live in different countries. She also has an aunt, her mother’s sister, who lives in London. And her father came from a very large, well to do family. There are lots of them in the Congo and others spread across Europe. She could have turned to anyone of us for help."

Describing Nella's dad, meanwhile, the relative concluded: "He was always smartly dressed and was a very good-looking man. And because he ran a boutique, he was always very popular with the women, because it was only women that shopped there. He was a wonderful, charismatic man and that’s why people liked him. And despite what was going on [his split from Eseho], his children always loved him."

Harry Rutter