Georgia Steel’s troubled family history revealed – with dad she hasn’t spoken to for 20 years
GEORGIA Steel could be set for a few ups and downs after heading to South Africa for a return to the Love Island villa.
But the star is no stranger to facing a few bumps in the road having had a rocky family history as well as being a victim of the so-called Football Fraudster.
Love Island fans were left delighted when it was revealed that the series four icon, known for her “I’m loyal babe,” catchphrase would be heading back to the show that brought her to stardom.
The 26 year old has faced heartache, something she could encounter on the show, and has previously opened up about her difficult childhood and a non-existent relationship with her absent father.
Georgia was left heartbroken after her father walked out on her and her mum when she was just three years old.
The reality TV star’s biological father is horse-racing jockey Rodney Lappin but Georgia has had little to no contact with him since her early years.
She admitted that his decision to ditch the family forced her to become her mum’s “rock”.
Georgia got candid as she spoke about her fractured family relations for the first time with The Sun in an exclusive interview in 2018.
The then 20 year old was fresh out of the Majorcan villa as she told us: “If I’m honest with you, the whole loyalty thing, that is something my mum has brought me up with. To always be loyal to whoever you’re with.
“I definitely stand by the people I care about more than anything. With me and my mum, there’s nothing that could break us up at all. It made me and my mum closer.”
Although Rodney was absent from much of her life growing up, the star revealed that he had attempted to contact her and build bridges during her teenage years whilst she was at secondary school.
The TV personality recalled: “When I was growing up he did try to make contact with me, he came to my school and came to my college.
“He also tried to send letters and stuff, but at that point in my life, I thought: he didn’t want to know me when I was little, why would he deserve to know me now?
“He always had my number and I want to get it changed, but my number was linked to so many things to do with work, I never did. I would always block him but he’d call me off different numbers.
“I would always say hello, and be civil, but that’s it really, it was like talking to a stranger.”
Georgia has been left unsure on the exact reason he left the family to this day but has since found happiness in the form of her father figure – her step-dad, Andrew, whom she is incredibly close with.
Andrew married her mum, Sharon, and the star refers to him as “dad”.
However, the star admitted that her dad’s notability in the horse-racing scene led to some awkward moments when people reminded her than Andrew – also known as Andy – was not actually her biological father.
Georgia said: “People would be like: oh my god, you’re Rod’s daughter. That’s hard. That’s a hard thing to go through.
“All I wanted to believe in my head was that Andy was my biological dad. And when someone would come up to me and say something like that, it would really hurt me.”
Elsewhere, after rising to fame on Love Island, Georgia found herself the victim of a horrific scam.
In 2019, Georgia fell victim to failed-footballer-turned-swindler Medi Abalimba and his shocking fraudster ways.
In April 2019, the Love Island star discovered that the handsome, seemingly successful man she’d been dating was, in fact, a conman.
A six-week romance ended in the devastating revelation that US government agent Miguel Johnson was actually Medi Abalimba, an ex-footballer who’d turned to crime when his sporting career ended and, by the time Georgia met him, had already served a four-year prison sentence for fraud.
His web of lies unravelled after the couple were photographed together outside a bar in London.
“He was flustered and said the pictures couldn’t be published,” said Georgia, “I thought it was because he didn’t want his security compromised due to his job.”
Journalists recognised Abalimba and the photos were published online, prompting Georgia’s manager to call her with the awful truth. She’d been duped into dating a swindler who, unbeknown to her, had spent around £32,000 on her credit cards.
“It was a complete shock. I didn’t know who this person I’d let into my life was or what he was capable of.”
He was not the only person to leave the star heartbroken.
Georgia has also had failed romanced with her Love Island co-star Sam Bird as well as a foiled engagement to Ibiza Weekender hunk Callum Izzard who proposed to the star during their appearance on a celebrity edition of Ex On The Beach in the US.
Georgia and Callum lasted for seven months before ultimately going their separate ways.