'Love Island' star Shaughna Phillips claims she was touched inappropriately by a masseur
Love Island contestant Shaughna Phillips alleges she was touched inappropriately by a masseur in an experience she described as "violating".
Phillips claimed the masseur, who was helping her with lymphatic drainage after surgery on her legs, pulled down her knickers in order to massage her bum and left them down for the rest of the session — around 30 minutes.
She further alleged that he "pressed against" her when "contouring" her body — a technique requiring her to bend over wearing just her underwear.
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The 27-year-old star said she felt uncomfortable during the session and "just froze", unable to tell him he was making her feel that way,
Phillips, who appeared on the inaugural winter series of Love Island in 2020, made the allegation in a nine-minute video posted to her Instagram account, captioned with the words "their power is our silence".
In the video, Phillips said she was telling her story in order to give other young girls the courage to speak out when they felt something was wrong.
"I felt uncomfortable," she admitted. "It's my body and I should have said something. I don't know why I didn't, but I'm saying something now."
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Phillips said she had seen the masseur on several prior occasions and he had spoken to her about his wife and children, which "made me feel safe" before the experience that left her rooted to the spot.
She said: "It wasn’t because the guy was being aggressive. It wasn’t because I was being held down. It was the complete opposite."
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In the lengthy caption, Phillips added: "What happened to me was not violent, but it does not need to be violent to be VIOLATING.
"In that moment, I was scared, I was alone and I was vulnerable. It should never have happened, and it is not my fault it did.
"But I have a responsibility to let girls and women out there know, that the only power they have over us is our silence, and I will not be silenced again."
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Phillips was one of the first batch of contestants on the winter series of Love Island in January 2020, coupling up with Callum Jones on day one.
She was left single when Jones chose to recouple with Molly Smith as part of the Casa Amor twist, with Phillips dumped from the island a week later.
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