Former Love Island star Olivia Buckland has sparked outrage over a 'homophobic' comment on fiancé Alex Bowen's recent Instagram post.
Commenting on Alex's pic, which sees him posing shirtless alongside pal Brad Skelly, Olivia branded the pair 'homos'; leading to an influx of angry messages from followers.
Explaining how problematic Olivia's comment was, one follower said: "A lot of gay kids they are taunted with this word." Another commented: "Whether or not it's used as a joke @oliviadbuck your in the public eye and have a lot of young impressionable fans. If this was me typing homo on Alex's picture, it would still get a negative /questioned response." [sic].
Defending herself, Olivia then explained: "Homosexual isn’t an offensive word if you are not a bully or not a homophone," she said in her defence.
"Brad & Alex pictured above are very close and myself and Brad's girlfriend have a running opinion that they would make the perfect couple if in a different world. You shouldn’t reflect negative connotations on the word homosexual."
Speaking to the Mirror, a representative of Olivia said: "Olivia would like to apologise for any offence she has caused. She is an advocate for the LGBTQ community and is saddened that she may have upset anyone.
"It was a comment said in jest to her fiancé and has now been removed, any suggestion Olivia is homophobic is ridiculous."