RITA Ora has been quietly axed from EE mobile adverts after angering fans by breaching lockdown rules, it has been reported.
The 30-year-old star sparked outrage when she invited thirty pals to celebrate her birthday with her at a private restaurant in November, during the UK’s second national lockdown.
It was later revealed she’d broken rules for a second time when she failed to quarantine after returning from a trip to Egypt.
The backlash was so severe that EE bosses are said to have pulled the plug on her Apple 12 pro launch campaign early.
A source told The Mirror: “EE took the lockdown breach very seriously and didn’t want to be seen to be endorsing her actions by having her as the face of their brand.”
The campaign saw a giant Rita performing her song Let You Love Me against the backdrop of London’s skyline.
According to the publication, EE held “urgent talks” with the star’s management before it was decided they’d “quietly end” the campaign.
Although they pulled the plug, Unicef – for which Rita is an ambassador – and The Voice Australia, where she’s a coach, are standing by the star.
The insider shared: “They appreciate she has held up her hands to this at the first opportunity and accepts she made a mistake. She is incredibly sorry.”
Rita can also be seen on the panel for The Masked Singer, which returned to ITV on Boxing Day.
The star issued a grovelling apology after breaking nationwide lockdown rules by throwing a birthday bash with friends at a restaurant in London, and volunteered to pay the £10,000 fine.
Piers Morgan was among the stars to lash out at her actions, seething on Good Morning Britain that she was “only sorry she got caught”, with fans dubbing the apology “ridiculous and fake”.
Thirty people attended the secret bash at a restaurant in West London on Saturday 28 November.
Showbiz pals were among those gathered at posh Casa Cruz restaurant in Notting Hill, including Cara Delevingne.
Rita’s sister Elena, 32, Towie pal Vas Morgan, 31, and others were seen sneaking through the back exit clutching bottles of alcohol including Rita’s own-brand tequila.
At one stage, police visited the restaurant, with officers seen peering through the windows and trying to open a heavy-duty security door.
The Government imposed a national lockdown from November 5 until December 2 in a bid to prevent social gatherings and mixing of households due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Rules stated that people must stay at home and avoid meeting others they do not live with.
