SHANNON MILLER: 'Disliking Whitney Adebayo shouldn't dismiss her experience of racism'

Love Island stars' Whitney Adebayo and Lochan Nowacki's breakup has been the topic of viral debate after Whitney alleged she experienced racism during their almost two year relationship.

Things kicked off between the pair when Whitney posted a snap in a bright pink strapless bikini on a beach in Barbados. She wrote: "'You look happier," before adding: "Thanks! I finally fell in love with my skin he used to call dirty."

Rather than showing support after Whitney's candid admission, TikTok users demanded "receipts" and evidence proving that the allegations were true.

Amid speculation over which ex Whitney made the claims against, her sister Liz shared a screenshot of an alleged WhatsApp conversation with Lochan. An alleged message from Lochan read: "Please speak to Whit she is fully cone and I feel awful but I never said it thinking her skin is dirty I feel sick I crossed line with joke but she she she can't look at me the same. I don't know what to do Liz."

Whitney's sister Liz added the caption: "The fact that evidence is needed is absurd to me, why can’t women speak and be heard?”

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In her now-expired Instagram story, Liz added: “I’m tired of seeing people constantly paint my sister as this person and jumping on the ‘hate Whitney’ bandwagon. I know what she went through, the fact that it took this long for her to heal and share her truth, only to be shamed, is vile. As women we’ve all stayed in situations that didn’t serve us, but when you get out, that’s when you really start to become a woman. Be kind and give grace.”

Lochan took to TikTok to share his own side as he defended himself in a five minute clip. He said: "I don't even know really where to begin with this." He explained that he and his family are "devastated and upset" about the allegations but feels like he had "no other choice" other than to address it on his own social media account.

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Lochan said a year into their relationship, they were on a walk when Whitney started to show off her new nails. "She annoyingly put her nails in my face and said, 'My hands are so clean, yours aren't.' And I said, 'No they're not,'" he said. Lochan added that the comment was "a very off the cuff remark" and that he felt "insulted" by the insinuation that he was "a racist".

Comments quickly flooded in supporting him, with people writing: “We believe you! Whitney is bitter.”

In response, Whitney posted a nine-minute video saying: "Because Lochan gives off his golden retriever energy, no-one would believe he would ever say it maliciously. I have dark humour so I know when something is a joke and when something is being said seriously and spun into it's a joke.

"I am not even here saying Lochan is a racist, I am here saying he made racial slurs towards me," Whitney said. Addressing questions as to why she is speaking out now, the TV star replied: "I was embarrassed, I was ashamed and I didn't feel that part of my story was something I wanted to share until now."

She also claims that after she called him out, he apologised multiple times. Lochan has yet to respond to Whitney's video. The Mirror has reached out to Whitney and Lochan for comment.

This isn’t the only racially-motivated Love Island break up, we’ve seen recently. Love Island USA’s JaNa Craig and Kenny Rodriguez revealed their split with the alleged reason worse than expected.

In an Instagram statement, JaNa wrote: "Please know that I have seen all the breakup theories and none have matched up to how terrible, disgusting and disappointing it truly is. Discovering that someone you loved isn’t who you thought they were and that the relationship you thought you were building hasn’t been genuine since day one has been truly devastating."

Kenny also released a statement, telling his followers that the past few days had been incredibly difficult. "I've been quietly sitting with a lot of emotions and doing my best to process. Everything privately break ups are never easy, especially in the public eye sometimes despite how deeply you care for someone, you come to the hard truth that the relationship was not something that could last long-term.

"I'll always be grateful for the time we shared in the memories we created. I release this chapter with no ill will only I hope that JaNa’s path forward brings her nothing but happiness," he finished.

JaNa shared a fiery response to Kenny's statement, writing, "@kennyrodriguez stfu you manipulative liar. You not taking accountability and telling people the type of person you really are is insane to me!! My first statement was me being nice. Do not p*** me off." The Mirror has reached out to JaNa and Kenny for further comment.

The key difference between Whitney and JaNa's experiences? The internet believed JaNa straight away. No one demanded proof as they did with Whitney. Both situations are horrific and traumatising, but show a clear difference in how Black women are treated in the UK - and as a Black woman myself, this has been a hard watch.

Whitney had to constantly prove herself, even after posting a nine-minute explanation video. The comments towards Whitney after she built the courage to speak out, even from other Black women, were horrible. Instead of showing support, people flooded her comments calling her "bitter", demanding "receipts" of the incident and even asked why she didn't leave the relationship sooner or "speak out before".

Even now, TikTok users have claimed that Whitney "gave Lochan the ick" after changing her hairstyle, which somehow justifies the alleged racism she experienced in her relationship.

She isn’t the first woman to stay in a relationship despite hurtful comments, but it’s clear the reaction to Whitney stems from the fact that many simply don’t like her. Whitney was once a fan favourite on Love Island, but this year, public opinion has shifted.

After her appearance on the Sidemen’s Inside show, people began calling Whitney "confrontational" and "blunt" due to their opinion of her behaviour throughout the show. Whitney shared screenshots of vile racist messages she received online, showing how viewers' hate went far beyond criticism.

The thing is: Whitney has always been unapologetically herself both on Love Island and across her social media. And while she may not be the palatable, easy-to-digest influencer you're used to seeing on your feed, disliking someone isn’t an excuse to hurl racism or dismiss their experience of racism.

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