Love Island star Kaz Crossley has spoken out for the first time since her arrest in Dubai after she was filmed snorting a white substance at a party.
The reality star claims that it was an ex boyfriend who filmed the video and 'leaked it online' after they'd split.
Kaz, who appeared on Love Island back in 2018, was detained at an airport in Abu Dhabi earlier this month before being transported to Dubai, where she had been filmed sniffing white powder back in 2020.
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After being detained, Kaz was jailed for a week and eventually released without charge after 'fully cooperating' with investigating officers.
Now back home, Kaz has decided to open up to her followers about the incident for the first time.
In a five-minute video posted to her Instagram page, Kaz explained: "In 2020, I was in Dubai and I was filmed. It was me in the video, no one forced me to do that. It was a time of my life where I definitely didn't love myself at all, probably.
"And this is reflected in what I was doing to my body and who I surrounded myself with."
She continued: "A year later, it then got leaked and then more recently, I was on my way to Thailand and had an amazing job offer."
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Kaz explained that she had been offered her 'dream job' in Thailand, and didn't think travelling to Abu Dhabi would be a problem.
She continued: "I was then detained in Abu Dhabi and kept in custody from Monday through to Friday which is when they released me.
"I was very accepting of the situation for whatever was going to happen to me.
“I take full accountability, I did not lie and I said that was me in the video and I explained the situation – it was a long time ago."
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The Love Island alum went on to explain how the video came to light in the first place, claiming that a 'malicious' ex-boyfriend had leaked it.
"The video wasn’t taken by my friend, it was taken by an ex who I was with… for a year," she revealed.
"Didn’t know he had this video and then when we’ve broken up, that’s when he decided to leak it online."
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Kaz said she believes her unnamed ex leaked the footage in an attempt to 'ruin' her career.
"It definitely did do what he intended to do," she admitted.
"Not only that, it completely destroyed my mental health. My family were so worried about me."
Kaz went on to explain that she feels comfortable speaking about the traumatic experience now that she's in a better headspace, and she's ready to move forward.
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She said: "I have made mistakes but I will not allow my past to define who I am now because I am truly falling in love with myself and the person I am truly becoming."
Kaz has received an outpouring of love and support from famous faces like Maya Jama and Clara Amfo, and fellow former Love Islanders like Laura Anderson, Zara McDermott, and Anna Vakili.
Featured Image Credit: Instagram/KazCrossleyTopics: Love Island, Celebrity, Drugs