Love Island’s Jess White was my M&S boss – she’s no bully despite what jealous trolls say

WE are now two weeks into the eleventh Love Island and it is fair to say opinions on this year’s bunch of fun, fame-hungry and seriously stunning Islanders have well and truly been formed.

The nation has begun to have its say on the new influx of ITV2 reality stars although for one of this year’s personalities, a fall from grace has already begun to emerge – well, that is if you listen to the ramblings of the bitter Twitter trolls.

25-year-old former Marks and Spencer manager Jess White has certainly taken the crown for being this year’s most talked about Islander thanks to her love rivalry with constant crier Harriett Blackmore, 24.

The pair have been locked in a love triangle with one-time footballer Ronnie Vint, 27, and have not been shy of having a few digs at one another in the process.

It has seen Jess branded a “bully” after show fans began to turn on her after a fiery confrontation with her female co-stars when their gossiping behind her back was, quite rightly, exposed.

But too-quick-to-judge trolls have got it all wrong and are simply jumping on a bandwagon and I know exactly why.

I’ve been fortunate enough to work alongside Jess during my days in the Marks and Spencer food hall whilst a student at university and let me tell you, she is certainly no bully.

Seeing Jess labelled as “nasty” and “a weirdo” left me utterly shocked.

She had originally emerged as one of the show’s most popular Islanders but in less than a few days the commentary appears to have brutally changed.

Having been entirely direct, transparent and honest throughout her time in the villa, I fail to see why furious fans have placed a target on her back.

Jess isn’t here for the bitching and the sly gossiping which some of her co-stars seem to relish in.

You only need to have watched a handful of episodes to realise Harriett thrives off drama and a more often than not a backstabbing comment.

Really, what has Jess actually done than be rightly annoyed that her love interest has ran off with someone else (and another since then) and completely disregarded her feelings?

She has never shouted or kicked off about the fact that Harriett and Ronnie have enjoyed snogs in bed and has only ever taken issue when malicious lies about herself are spread around the villa.

Jess even stood up for herself by not letting a man walk all over her when she opted to choose sickly sweet Sean in the re-coupling, a huge empowerment move for women and girls who aren’t being treated with the respect they deserve.

I’ve also seen plenty of discourse online saying that it “makes sense” Jess is a retail manager.

“You can tell Jess was a retail manager she’s such a nasty girl,” one bitter troll said.

“You can tell Jess is a retail manager, she’s a bully,” penned another.

Whilst a third said: “Jess is like that mean manager you had at your first retail job. Vicious for no reason.”

Well Jess was my manager for my one and only experience working in retail and the word “vicious” could not be further from how I’d describe her.

Young, glamorous and up for a laugh – Jess wasn’t like the rest of the typical retail managers you would find littered across the department store.

Not only was she almost half the age of some of her counterparts, she had an air of relatability to her considering many of her employees were, like me, students in the centre of Manchester who were essentially the same age as her.

A friend told me she looked like the type of manager to “decline your annual leave because she can,” but in my experience she is more likely to forget to put it in the system in order to allow you to have extra time away to live your best life.

Jealous trolls should leave Jess alone and stop hating on her for just being herself.

I admit, her comment about Harriett being a “cheeky b***h” may have been somewhat ill-timed, but at least she called her over mere seconds later to explain her issue with her.

Unlike some, she didn’t let it fester into a ‘behind-her-back’ swipe and instead she tackled her issues with her head on.

She’s also, most importantly, not been begging to get Ronnie back.

If Harriett and Ronnie have that spark, she’ll happily let them crack on in peace and she won’t be caught lusting over him like her love rival.

She’s no villain – not even close.