Love Island’s Amber Gill says her family and friends have been nothing but supportive over her new romance with girlfriend Jen Beattie (Picture: PA)

Amber Gill has praised her family and friends for their ‘progressive’ reaction to her new romance with girlfriend Jen Beattie.

The 2019 Love Island star, 25, has been linked to the Arsenal star, 31, for a few months after the pair were spotted on a Winter Wonderland date in December, and they’ve been snapped looking smitten ever since.

In a new interview, the reality star said she’s ‘so happy’ with her new love and has praised those closest to her for being progressive and open-minded about her new relationship. 

‘I think England is progressive in ways because for all my friends and family it was a non-thing,’ she said. ‘I didn’t “come out”. I was fine.’

‘We are slowly getting there,’ she told The Mirror. ‘What the people before me have done means that I can come out with my girlfriend, I can say I’m in a relationship with a girl and everything is fine, which wasn’t a thing before.’

‘People were scared of that. I feel in a good position,’ she added. 

The couple made things social media official in February (Credits: PA)

She pointed out some ‘close-minded’ social media followers have been less supportive, pointing back to her Love Island days when Amber dated male contestants. She won the series with Greg O’Shea in 2019. 

‘Everybody was really like: “We watched you date a man”, she continued, rightfully pointing out the years that have passed. ‘I was 21. It’s been four years!’

The loved-up pair are happily smitten (Picture: CrystalPix/CLICK NEWS AND MEDIA)

Amber has said she is ‘so happy’ with new love Jen (Picture: @jbeattie91

Last year, she addressed rumours about her sexuality by saying she had ‘switched teams’ and was open to dating women. 

She also previously said she wanted to keep her relationship private for a little while longer. ‘You know when you just want to keep things to yourself to see how it goes until like, it’s real life?’ 

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However, the happy couple soon made things social media official in February, tagging each other in a sweet photo with a TikTok reveal from the pair. Both shared pictures of bunches of flowers they’d been sent while Amber tagged Jen in her Story from ESPA Life at Corinthia in London.

Then in early March, the loved-up couple were snapped sharing a kiss as footballer Jen celebrated Arsenal’s win over Chelsea.

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She’s been dating the Arsenal footballer since January.