LOVE Island star Paige Turley is facing a fan backlash after using a homophobic slur.
The 22-year-old ex-girlfriend of pop star Lewis Capaldi used the phrase Harryhoofter in an Instagram post.
Horrified social media fans said her hurtful phrase is rhyming slang for a derogatory term for a gay man.
Referring to her brother Marc Turley while on holiday in Dubai, Paige posted a photo of a table of drinks and wrote: Uuuuuft whos that big Harry hoofter on the cocktails??
The video, shared with the star’s 36,000 Instagram followers, included an animated hand waving a rainbow flag.
Marc is not thought to be gay.
OneLoveIslandfan said: I was looking on her Instagram and came across this video under her travel highlights of her calling someone a ‘Harryhoofter’ accompanied with the pride flag gif – which in my eyes is ahomophobicslur.
Myself and others are deeply offended and dont see why someone this day and age is using this language.
Love Island bosses have refused to comment.
Paige has won an army of admirers by sharing a series of daring snaps posing in red bikinis and crop tops.
She teases fans by sharing photos in hot tubs and nighties which show off her curvy figure.
Lewis Capaldi’s ex Paige was dating X Factor reject Garry Greig just months before applying for Love Island’s winter series.
She is in the South African villa seven years after her first bid for fame on Britain’s Got Talent.
Paige and Garry met that same year, with a pal revealing that they were always cosy with one another but didn’t make their romance official.
They can be seen cuddling up in a variety of snaps, with Garry also having photos alongside Paige’s famous ex.
Paige had decided to go travelling and singer Garry went on tour, and while friends thought that they would reunite once they were both back in their Scottish home town, Paige instead applied forLoveIsland.
Garry has also had TV experience, auditioning for The X Factor in 2010, narrowly missing out on a spot in One Direction.
He returned to the programme six years later but his luck wasn’t much better.
Paige is also an aspiring singer, showing off her vocal prowess aged 14 when she auditioned for Britain’s Got Talent – landing a spot in the live semi-finals.
Two years later, Paige started dating now-superstar Lewis, with their break-up said to have inspired his hit single Someone YouLoved.
Speaking about their romance, Paige said: “We went out when we were younger, I was about 17 or 18.
“We were together for about a year. It ended really amicably and were still pals.”
Paige is hoping to find love again among the contestants on the reality TV show.
She is currently coupled up with newbie Finn Tapp.
