Yazmin Oukhellou has provoked anger among the family and friends of her late former boyfriend Jake McLean after being added to the cast of the new reality series Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over.
The ex-Towie star will join other celebrities who will spend a night with the presenter, who says the programme aims to discover "who they are behind the headlines".
Sources close to Jake's relatives told The Sun that they fear Oukhellou may bring up the deceased on the show and possibly portray him unfavourably.
One source said: "Jake's family and friends are really worried about what Yazmin will say about him. There is no love lost between Yaz and his family - they aren't fans of hers at all, and didn't invite her to his funeral. They don't like her talking about their son."
Oukhellou, 32, and McLean first dated in 2019, split, reunited in May 2021 and remained together until July 2022, when McLean died in a car crash in Bodrum, Turkey.
She survived the accident, which also claimed McLean's life, after the vehicle went off a cliff.
The source added: "Obviously it is a big part of Yazmin's life story and a trauma she has been through, so it will definitely come up on the show. But Jake's family hate when she speaks about him - they just don't like Yaz and didn't think she was good for Jake. Their relationship was volatile at times, and there was speculation she and Jake had rowed in the moments leading up to the car accident, but Yazmin has always firmly denied that. Either way though, they didn't like her when Jake was alive and they don't like her since he has died. They don't think it's fair to discuss that when Jake isn't here to give his side of the story."
The programme's synopsis mentions McLean, and Oukhellou's bio on the show's site reads: "Yazmin left The Only Way Is Essex following the tragic death of her partner, Jake McLean, and embarked on a new life as an influencer. Yazmin has faced criticism for publicising her cosmetic surgery procedures, and Stacey discovers the challenges she faces as she reinvents herself."
Stacey Dooley is quoted as promising "very honest conversations", a promise that has heightened the family's unease.
Another source said: "They don't want Jake's story told by Yaz. They feel like she shouldn't talk about him out of respect, especially if she is going to paint him in a light that they don't recognise."
McLean first entered the public eye when he began dating Lauren Goodger in 2012; their on-and-off relationship lasted four years. In 2019 he was linked to Oukhellou, who later moved from Essex to Dubai to be with him, sharing romantic photos of their time there.
The couple's relationship ended abruptly after the Turkish crash, where McLean was driving a Mercedes E-Class that left the road and fell down a ravine. Emergency crews arrived, but McLean could not be saved.
Oukhellou was seriously injured but managed to crawl from the wreckage. A post-mortem later revealed McLean had a blood alcohol level nearly three times the legal limit and had cocaine in his system at the time of the accident.
Coroner Dr Shirley Radcliffe told an inquest in Walthamstow, East London, that the post-mortem showed no natural disease and that the cause of death was skull fractures and brain damage.
Goodger attended McLean's funeral in 2023, while Oukhellou has been excluded by his family, who allege a dispute between the pair may have contributed to the crash. Oukhellou's representatives have not responded to requests for comment.
