Love Island star slammed by fans for making birthday tribute to boyfriend ‘about herself’ amid split rumours
A LOVE Island star has been slammed by fans for making her boyfriend’s birthday all ‘about her’.
Whitney Adebayo and Lochan Nowacki met on Love Island in 2023, with the pair placing as runners up and continuing their love story outside of the villa since.
But despite being loved up, fans have recently noticed how Lochan didn’t appear at Whitney’s Netflix premiere for Inside, sparking split rumours.
Any split speculation has now been put to bed after Whitney shared a super sweet birthday post for Lochan.
“First the first time in 27 years, I can honestly say I’m in a happy, loving relationship,” Whitney said over the top of a video.
In the video and accompanying voiceover, Whitney spoke about her struggles with loving and being loved, while expressing her deep love and appreciation for her boyfriend.
“Chapter 3 – Healing Love. Thank you for being you, happy birthday my love @lochan_nowacki,” she penned in the caption.
Fans were divided by the post though, with some swooning over how sweet it was, and others saying how Whitney had made it “all about her”.
Sharing the video in a Love Island dedicated Reddit thread, one person said: “So glad they found each other tbh!
“They seem really committed to growing with each other and I love hearing about men who make women feel so safe despite their past.
“It probably means so much more to her considering the online reaction to Inside.”
But someone quickly slammed: “Why has she made it about herself?”
To which another echoed: “My first thought.”
While someone else added: “Ngl I thought it was sweet. It’s still about him but how he helped her throughout their relationship, which to me speaks to the power of Lochan (they should’ve won their season too honestly).”
Another echoed: “Made what about herself? His birthday?
“I’m in a relationship myself and would be so touched if someone felt I changed their life in this way.”
Love Island - Whitney and Lochan Love Story
THE duo found love on-screen in 2023 - yet what's the lowdown?
Beauty mogul Whitney entered the villa on Day 3, and experienced highs and lows on the hit ITV2 reality show, stealing contestant Andre Furtado, 22, the same day she entered into the villa.
She coupled up with Mehdi Edno, 26, on Day 5, and in a surprising turn of events, she took personal trainer Zachariah Noble, 26, out on a date but their chemistry would soon fizzle out.
Her luck changed in Week 5, when Windsor-born Lochan entered Cara Amor on Day 26. On Day 31, Whitney chose to couple up with Lochan.
The show favourites lost out on the winning spot to Jess Harding, 23, and Sammy Root, 23 on the show finale on Day 58.
She recently told how the pair were planning to move in together.
Yet in July 2024, eyebrows were raised after the pair unfollowed each other on social media then attended an event together – leaving some fans calling out a “publicity stunt.”
And another said: “Yall are weird as hell for hating on this lmao.
“She’s literally just talking about her relationship, and appreciating him and yall wanna hate and call it selfish.
“I don’t even stan Whitney but this is such a strange thing to criticize, like how dare she appreciate her man? Get therapy lmao.”
This comes amid Whitney’s new reality job with YouTube star and rapper KSI.
The digital show Inside sees ten top influencers live together while competing in challenges in a bid to win £1M.
The Sidemen official Instagram account shared a promo photo of Whitney and TikTok content creator Jason The Ween.
They captioned it: “See you on the inside,” and tagged the Love Island star.
The series dropped onto Netflix on March 17.
Since the series came out, Whitney faced backlash, leading to the star addressing racist comments she had received.
“I’d like to take the time and address something important after the airing of Inside on Netflix,” she said in a recent statement after appearing on the show.
She went on: “I was a contestant on the show, where the goal was to win a million pounds while navigating the challenge of saving and spending money.
“I was a ‘spender’ by nature, which added some fun and drama to the show, but it’s important to remember that everything you saw was a part of the game, designed for entertainment.”
“I’ve received a mix of reactions – some positive, some negative. But what I’ve encountered more than anything is the reality of racism. I understand that being in the spotlight briny criticism, but what I’ve experienced the past few days goes beyond criticism,” she wrote.
“This evil, hatred and pure racism and should not be tolerated. The hateful messages, the death threats, and the unjust treatment I’ve received are not only hurtful, but they also serve as a reminder that racism is still very much embedded in British culture.”