Love Island star Chris Hughes has defended his ‘strong’ and ‘beautiful’ ex-girlfriend Jesy Nelson after the Little Mix singer was labelled ‘desperate’ by media personality Katie Hopkins.

Hughes' response came after Hopkins posted photos from Nelson's Instagram page and described them as a sign of ‘weakness’.

Hopkins said: "These desperate daily pics are showing that contrivance of a documentary to be darn insincere.

“Girls. Be better than this. Beauty is in strength, not weakness that needs validating daily.”

And Hughes responded by sticking up for his ex-girlfriend, saying: "How about don’t be a bitch your whole life and let that person live.

“You tried it once years back, and it affected her mentally, just don’t be that a*******. She has strength, she has beauty, and she has a heart that only you could dream of having.”

Hughes and Nelson broke up in April due to ‘personal reasons’, but that did not stop the reality star from supporting his former partner.

But adding to the controversy, Hopkins later added: “'Husband: ‘Why are you trending on Twitter?’  Me: ‘Because I asked girls to be strong’. #katiehopkins."

Nelson has struggled with her body image, mental health and online abuse for several years.

In a recent BBC documentary titled Jesy Nelson: Odd One Out, she opened up about her attempt to commit suicide in 2013.