Love Island 2024 is well underway, and as usual, the show is dividing the public. We’ve witnessed age-shaming and 'before-and-after' discourse litter social media, with the public weighing in on our current islanders however they see fit. Harriett Blackmore - who was dumped from the island over the weekend - was just one of this year’s cohort caught up in the toxic debates.

In some videos posted on social media platform TikTok, people alleged that this year's Islanders look older than they were - possibly because of cosmetic procedures. As plastic surgeons attempted to expose which 'tweakments' certain contestants had undergone, one comment read, 'This is the best anti-filler advert I've ever seen.' Harriett was one of the multiple Islanders to find their appearances being picked apart by cruel trolls on this year's show, with comments flooding in about everything from her hair to her cheeks as the show aired each night. Of course, this is nothing new when it comes to the ITV dating show. Love Island has a long history of inviting unsolicited opinions by those sat at home watching - with the likes of Ella Thomas and Hannah Elizabeth also victims of online trolling.

Yet the 24-year-old seems to shrug off the discourse she has sparked, exclusively telling Grazia that, quite frankly, what she has had done and how she looks is no one else’s business.

'I don’t think anyone should have an opinion,' she explains when asked about the online backlash over her filler. 'I’ll always be open and honest about anything I’ve had done; I have nothing to hide. I was open on social media [about what I've had done].'

Unlike some secretive stars, Harriett has made no secret of the treatments she underwent prior to entering the villa. One East Sussex-based clinic tagged the star in a video on their social media of Harriett getting a muscle toning procedure on her stomach, before also sharing a video of the star after topping up her lip, cheek and chin filler. In another post, a dental clinic wished Harriett good luck with her Love Island debut, sharing the star's reaction to her new teeth. The clinic uses hashtags including teeth whitening, Invisalign, composite bonding and veneers, but it's unclear which of these Harriett had done.

Opening up to Grazia, Harriett adds, 'Everyone’s beautiful in their own way, but if they feel like they need to change something or want to make a little tweak, then that’s completely their choice. It’s really not that deep – some people just want to be a 10 out of 10. People are blowing it out of proportion.'

Any ‘tweakments’ the islanders may have had done aren’t the only thing that has garnered attention this series, the 11th since the show rebooted. While Love Island is the show that normally brings sisterhood and bromances that last long longer than any failed villa romances, this season has so far failed to bring viewers the usual 'girl band'. As one fan took to X (formerly Twitter) to question whether the girls ‘hated each other,’ another wrote, ‘No solidarity, no girl power, just mess.’

And it seems they may not have been too far off, with Harriett admitting that the villa dynamic wasn’t always positive.

She says, 'I’m not going to lie, I really struggled. A lot of the boys had an interest in me at the beginning, so naturally it was going to get awkward. I did find it hard to settle in, but then Matilda [Draper] and Grace [Jackson] came. And although the girls weren’t supportive at the beginning, Joey [Essex] and Sean [Stone] were like my best boy friends. I kept saying “I don’t want to do this, I don’t want to upset the girls.” I’d have loved to have Friend Island and Love Island at the same time.’

Unfortunately, the pursuit of love never did run smooth. During her time in the villa, Harriett found herself locked in a love triangle with Ronnie Vint and Jess White. The result? A number of fiery clashes.

Reflecting on the situation, Harriett says, 'I’ve never been in a love triangle in my life, and I will never be in one again. Usually when I meet a boy, they’re all for me! But I understand that we were in the villa to find love and explore.'

'It’s no secret that Jess didn’t like me. Coming out and seeing the comments made behind my back, I would have taken a completely different approach if I’d known. I was always trying to take the high road. It was really hard for me living with her, because she was nasty to me at points. But it is intense in there, and I don’t wish her any bad blood. There’s no animosity.'

But when it comes to trolling outside of the villa, Harriett says she's philosophical about it. 'I’ve had so much love, more than I ever expected, that it’s completely outweighed the hate,' she says. 'What people say about me has never really affected me.'

Brighton-born Harriett classes YouTuber and Strictly Come Dancing star Saffron Barker among her closest pals. 'A lot of my best friends are in the public eye,' she says, adding that 'people have always commented on the way I look and how I dress.'

While Harriett appears to brush off the hate, it’s not always as simple for others. While Islanders are inside the villa, it's their friends and family that are often left to deal with the negative comments. 'I didn’t realise when I was in there quite how much press I was getting. My mum definitely dealt with it the best she could. There was so much said about me, but at the end of the day, I took it as a compliment. Any press is good press,' she says.