Love Island's Whitney and Lochan's legal battle & 'court case' explained

15 January 2026, 21:12 | Updated: 15 January 2026, 22:17

All the details you need on Love Island's Lochan and Whitney's legal battle. Picture: TikTok

By Abbie Reynolds

Love Island exes Whitney Adebayo and Lochan Nowacki entered into a legal battle over defamation after their split. Here are all the details you need to know about what happened and the outcome.

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In April 2025, Whitney Adebayo revealed that she and Lochan Nowacki, who met on Love Island series 10, had ended their two year relationship.

Initially, Whitney revealed that the split happened due to Lochan 'falling out of love with her', confirming that he ended things. But, in the months following their split, Whitney spoke out about their relationship and in August 2025 she alleged that Lochan had made racist remarks towards her while they were together.

After completely denying her accusations, Lochan said he had set out to sue Whitney for defamation. Here's a full breakdown what happened and the outcome as Whitney stars on Love Island All Stars 2026.

Read more: Exclusive: Love Island's Cach reveals major relationship update as Toni returns to America

Whitney and Lochan met on Love Island in 2023. Picture: Getty

What happened between Lochan and Whitney?

After their breakup, Whitney accused Lochan of making racist remarks throughout their nearly two year relationship. Lochan denied these claims and was set to take legal action against Whitney for defamation.

However, the pair managed to quietly settle what happened outside of court. The details of how they settled matters are not public but ahead of Love Island All Stars, Whitney confirmed no further action had been taken by Lochan.

She told the press: "I've never had a court case so this is genuinely news to me. I've just been focusing on my business - my hair business, my podcast. No, no court case."

Here's a timeline of everything happened:

Whitney alleges Lochan called her skin 'dirty'

In July, three months after their split, Whitney shared a TikTok where she said she'd "fallen in love with the skin he used to call dirty". Fans were quick to speculate that she had been referring to Lochan in the statement which she later confirmed.

Lochan denies calling Whitney's skin dirty

After news spread about the alleged comment, Lochan took to his socials to deny making the comment. He said: "I want to first off say, I've never called anyone's skin dirty and I would never."

"That, to me, is the most upsetting comment," he added.

Recalling his version of events, he had said a year into their relationship they'd been on a walk close to his flat after Whitney had got her nails done. He explained: "About a year into my relationship with Whit, we were on a walk close to my flat. She got her nails done, and she, you know, annoyingly put her nails in my face and was like, 'Oh, my hands are so clean. My hands are so clean. Yours aren't,' And I was like, 'No, they're not'.

"And, you know, I was kind of just annoyed that her hands were in my face. But it was a very off the cuff remark. I just said, 'No, they're not,' and, you know, she looked at me in shock and was like, 'You're calling me dirty?'," he recalled.

Lochan went on: "And, you know, I was taken back by that. I was, you know, I felt insulted that my girlfriend, who I loved, who knows me, who knows that I would never insinuate something like that is, you know, calling me a racist and saying, 'You're calling my skin dirty'."

Lochlan from Love Island speaks out about racism allegations

Whitney rejects Lochan's version of events

Shortly after Lochan's video denying the comments went live, Whitney replied saying: "I don't need 24 hours to respond. Like, Lochan, are we doing this? Are we really gonna go for the nice boy, puppy dog eye look? Really?"

Then, giving her account of what happened, she said: "Back to the situation of how it happened. We were walking back from lunch, going back to his place, and I was in the sun, and I was like, 'Babe, look how my skin glistens in the sun'. And he looked at me and he was like, 'Ugh, it's dirty'.

"And then only when I lashed out, he was like, 'It was a joke, it was a joke'. And he was crying."

Whitney went on to say that her family were made aware of the comments too. She added: "He called all my family members saying, 'It was a joke, it was a joke'. And because Lochan gives off this golden retriever energy, like, no one would ever believe that he would ever say it maliciously.

"But you guys know I have dark humour, so I know when something's a joke and when something's being said seriously."

Whitney alleges more racist remarks were made by Lochan's family

In the same video, Whitney went on to directly address Lochan, saying: "And let's not even start there because if we're really going to dive into it, when I used to come to your house, what did your mum used to say to me?"

She went on to claim: "Guys, the lights would go off and she would say, 'Oh, where's Whit gone? Whit smile,' and that was a running joke in that household. Like, 'Whit, smile. Whit smile'.

"So I just hate the fact that [Lochan's] coming on the Internet acting so innocent. I'm not even here saying that Lochan is a racist. I'm here saying that he made racial slurs."

She also alleged he had called her "too ghetto" and "too loud".

Whitney accused Lochan of saying her skin was 'dirty'. Picture: TikTok

Lochan hires legal team to sue Whitney for defamation

According to the tabloids, Lochan instructed the same lawyers who represented David Walliams in his legal dispute with Britain's Got Talent.

A source claimed: "There have been repeated attempts to step back from the abyss. Whitney was given the opportunity to apologise publicly for her remarks, but she doubled down instead.

"Lochan wants the world to know he is taking action against her. Half the people out there still think he's a racist because of what she's said about him."

They concluded by saying: "It's just not right and it has to be corrected. He would rather avoid court, but there doesn't appear to be any alternative."

Lochan is suing Whitney in the High Court for defamation and malicious falsehood and is seeking "substantial damages".

The court case will set out in detail the damage done to Lochan's reputation in the wake of Whitney's claims. Lochan's mum, Kulminder, will also be named in the action.

Love Island's Whitney blasts Lochan over statement

Whitney "confident" in her position against Lochan's legal action

After it was revealed that Lochan was taking legal action, a spokesperson for Whitney said: "Whitney has instructed her own legal team and is very confident in her position.

"If any claim is issued by Mr Nowacki, it will be vigorously defended."

Lochan breaks silence on legal battle against Whitney

Taking to social media, Lochan shared a statement saying he felt he had no other choice but to take this course of action. His full statement read: "A series of posts have been released making defamatory comments about my family, friends and I.

"I never wanted things to reach this stage, and I did try to take this situation through to resolution. I felt I was left with no other choice but to take this course of action."

Lochan's statement continued: "Taking this step was not about taking anything from Whitney, it's about protection, it's about clearing the serious reputational damage that has been caused to me and my family.

"For the avoidance of doubt, I categorically deny and refute the information that has been spread about my family and myself online."

He concluded: "I have no desire to prolong this situation. More than anything, I want to close this down and for us both to move forward separately."

Lochan and Whitney reveal private messages

On August 31st, both Lochan and Whitney began to share screenshots of their messages on social media.

Whitney shared a screenshot which appeared to be of Lochan apologising for the original 'dirty' skin comments. The screenshot, dated August 2024, read: "Please speak to whit she is fully done and I feel awful but I never said it thinking her skin is dirty I feel sick I crossed line with joke but she said she can't look at me the same. I don't know what to do Liz.

"I f---ed up bit I can barely her or your family thinking I'm racists or think that I crossed a boundary I will educate myself better and not ever make joels but she done.

"I literally don't know what to do I don't want to lose her and I'm not a racist she saying stuff like the world is gunna know the real you and it's breaking me because I know I'm not racist at all!! [sic]."

Whitney shares this screenshot writing: "@lochan_nowacki if you can apologise privately, apologise publicly."

Whitney shares screenshot to her Instagram story — Whitney says, "if you can apologise privately, apologise publicly.". Picture: Instagram

Whitney brings up 'Sofia' comment

Following the legal battle going public, Whitney addressed another comment made by Lochan when they were together. She accused him of calling her a slave as he had called her Sofia in a since-deleted video, seemingly referencing Sofia from the book, film and musical The Color Purple.

This had occurred in a video which she had made public during their relationship. Sharing screenshots to her story, Whitney revealed messages that appear to be of Lochan asking her to delete the video after people had commented that his reference was inappropriate.

The messages in the screenshot read: "Look at those messages it's a joke you thought that was calm. I don't care if it's out here delete it.

"Like I'm actually shocked you thought this was calm do do our inside joke and put it out there. [sic]"

Whitney shared the screenshots, adding: "calling me Sophia (a slave) but I guess that was a joke too. why can't you tell the world how funny you are now?"

Lochan accuses Whitney of "twisting" Sofia comment

After Whitney shared messages to her Instagram story, Lochan followed suit but said: "Whitney twisting the truth. I did not call Whitney "Sophia". The comment related to her characters "Hell no" line used in the film which is clear from these messages."

The messages he shared, dated March 2024, appear to show Whitney saying: "We're talking about the hell no."

Lochan then appears to reply: "Babe WE know that"

And the response to that is: "What's colour got to do with it."

Lochan is then seen asking Whitney to "just delete" the video again.

After they both shared screenshots to their IG stories, Whitney wrote: "Racial ignorance is at an all time high. You're not a black woman so you can never tell me how to feel when you make 'these jokes'.

"1 year, 2 year, even 10 years later, I will always be within my right to tell my story. Instead of recognising how these comments made me feel, especially now being outside of the love bubble, you still chose to disregard my story. Your actions have shown it was never love, it was about reputation and money. Charge it to the game."

And finally she wrote: "I will never be bullied / intimidated into silence by retracting ignorant statements made by you."

Lochan uploads mega two part video with 'receipts'

Lochlan from Love Island responds to Whitney's allegations

On Monday 1st September, a day after he and Whitney had been sharing private messages via their Instagram stories, Lochan dropped two ten minute videos on TikTok.

The videos addressed many of the same topics he had already spoken about in his first statement. The difference was that this time he included various clips of Whitney talking on different podcasts as well as text messages that appear to be from Whitney.

Lochan expressed again that he hadn’t wanted to air out his past relationship to the public but because Whitney had involved his family he felt the need to speak out.

In the video, Lochan spoke about how Whitney accused his mum of having an ongoing racist joke about not being able to see her in the dark. He shared multiple text messages, that he said were between Whitney and his mum, where Whitney had seemingly had a great relationship with her and said she had made her feel "welcome" in their family.

He also brought up clips of Whitney calling herself "ghetto" in response to her claim that he had told her she was "too ghetto" and "too loud". As well as a clip of Whitney on her podcast where she had spoken about her sister dating a Congolese man, who she said made them look like "two monkeys" together.

Moreover he shared his upset that Whitney had revealed, in her response video, that she had gone with him when he went to get a hair transplant privately.

"She knew I didn’t want anyone to know about my hair transplant, yet she so eagerly outed my insecurity as as man. Which says more about her than it will ever me. I paid for that, to keep it private, and she just outed it out of spite," he told the camera.

He also showed times she had boasted about the gifts he’d brought her on camera after she claimed she had had to pick up the bill for most of their relationship.

Whitney is on Love Island All Stars 2026. Picture: Instagram

Lochan and Whitney quietly end their dispute

In December 2025, a tabloid source revealed: "Lochan and Whitney have quietly ended their dispute and are moving on. Both of them instructed legal teams and, what came to pass, was that this was going to end up as a very ugly, and very expensive, row."

Whitney confirms there was 'no court case'

When asked about her and Lochan's legal battle ahead of her Love Island All Stars stint, Whitney told the tabloids plainly: "There was no court case."