Fans of Love Island: All Stars have been expressing their displeasure with Luca Bish and Grace Jackson’s apparent ‘friendship’ with Conor McGregor.
As the finale of the ITV2 dating show aired on Monday, crowning Gabby Allen and Casey O’Gorman as winners, some viewers took to Twitter, formerly X, to voice their displeasure at seeing Luca and Grace still in contention to win due to their reported ties with McGregor.
Numerous photos shared on social media, including on Luca’s own Instagram account, show the 25 year old Love Island star happily posing with the controversial MMA fighter in various locations and at different times.
Other images show Grace smiling alongside the Irish sportsman, reports the Mirror.
Last year, a woman who accused McGregor of raping her in a Dublin hotel won her claim against him for damages in a High Court civil case. The jury in the civil case against McGregor delivered its verdict in November.
The total amount of damages awarded to Nikita Hand by the jury was 248,603.60 euros. McGregor had been accused of “brutally raping and battering” Ms Hand at a hotel in south Dublin in December 2018.
The court was told that Ms Hand suffered severe physical and psychological injuries as a result of McGregor’s alleged attack and that she had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Ms Hand was rushed by ambulance to the Rotunda Hospital the next day, where she received care at the sexual assault treatment unit (SATU). A paramedic who attended to Ms Hand after the assault testified in court that she had not seen “someone so bruised” in a long time.
Ms Hand had also expressed concern about a tampon she had been wearing on the night of the assault.
McGregor insists the sexual encounter was consensual and is planning to appeal the verdict. In the wake of the verdict, several companies and businesses have severed ties with McGregor and his products.
One Love Island fan took to Twitter to express their views, writing: “Just a reminder that Luca is STILL friends with Conor McGregor, that should tell you everything about the person he is xx #LoveIslandAllStars #loveisland,” alongside recent photos of Luca with McGregor.
Another tweet read: “Wait Luca and Grace are friends with Conor McGregor ? #LoveIslandAllStars #Loveisland,” Before the winners were announced, a fan commented: “Luca being friends with Conor McGregor is enough for me to say, Gabby and Casey take this win NOW #loveislandallstars.”
Another posted pictures of Grace and Luca with McGregor, questioning: “People really voting for Luca and Grace to win when they’re friends with Conor McGregor? “.
Grace has never publicly spoken about her reported connection with McGregor, only being seen in photos at boxing events.
Luca, on the other hand, has opened up about his friendship with McGregor, telling talkSPORT: “It’s an unlikely match, isn’t it? Yeah, it’s a random pairing and I think it shocked a lot of people when they see we are friends.”
After leaving court following the verdict in November without a word, McGregor later announced on Twitter his plans to challenge the outcome.
“I will be appealing today’s decision,” he stated. He added: “I am with my family now, focused on my future. Thank you to all my support worldwide.”
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Ms Hand expressed her hope that her case would encourage other assault victims to persist in seeking justice following the judgement.
“I hope my story is a reminder that no matter how afraid you might be, speak up, you have a voice and keep on fighting for justice,” she remarked. “I know this has impacted not only my life, my daughter’s, my family and friends tremendously. It’s something that I’ll never forget for the rest of my life. Now that justice has been served, I can now try and move on and look forward to the future with my family and friends and daughter.”
When asked if she felt vindicated by the jury’s decision, she responded: “Yes, I do. Thank you.”