Devastated Molly-Mae quits social media after Love Island star suffers abuse over the death of dog Mr Chai
DEVASTATED Molly-Mae Hague has quit social media after suffering abuse over the tragic death of her puppy, Mr. Chai.
The 21-year-old Love Island star and her boyfriend Tommy Fury came under fire when they announced the dog's death on Wednesday - less than a week after he'd been imported from Russia.
Now The Sun Online can reveal that the popular influencer is taking some time away from the spotlight in the wake of the backlash.
A source told us: "Molly-Mae is taking a break to have time to herself for a few days."
Molly and Tommy were slammed last week when they announced that their Pomeranian, which was a birthday gift from Tommy, was being shipped over from Russia.
The pair ignored the backlash as they welcomed their new arrival, excitedly sharing adorable videos and photos with their fur baby.
But just two days in, they realised that something "wasn't right" and took the pup to the vet - and were heartbroken when told he'd had a seizure and died.
The pair opened up about the tragic moment in an emotional YouTube video, with Molly breaking down in tears as she admitted Tommy "vomited everywhere" upon hearing the news - and that they initially thought it was a cruel prank.
Explaining they paid for a fast-track autopsy, the star added: "Chai's skull wasn't fully developed. Part of his brain was exposed. In a tiny dog, any knock probably wasn't very helpful."
However, Molly and Tommy were targeted by animal lovers, who attacked the couple on social media for using a Cheshire-based breeder, Tiffany Chihuahuas & Pomeranians, who openly import their pets from abroad.
They were branded "ignorant", "selfish" and "image obsessed" by enraged Twitter users, who flocked to social media to share their views.
However, Molly remained adamant in the YouTube video that it was not the plane journey that killed poor Mr. Chai - also insisting that he was almost five-months-old and had all of his vaccinations before they took him out and about in Manchester.
She said: "Whilst we completely understand everyone's opinions about being shipped over from Russia, what you need to understand is that is not what made him die."
On the jabs, she added: "Chai had every single one - we have the paperwork. He was four and a half months old."
Breeder Elena Katerova, who runs Tiffany Chihuahuas & Pomeranians, previously failed to tell another customer, Jane Martin, her Pomeranian puppy had had a mental splint inserted into its leg six weeks before she bought it for £5,000.
Fellow Love Island alumni Olivia Attwood has since revealed that she had been offered "free puppies" after finding fame on the ITV2 dating show - sharing her sympathy that Molly and Tommy had seemingly been "conned by breeders".
Molly announced her pet's tragic passing in an Instagram statement on Wednesday, telling fans at the time: "Tommy and I are utterly heartbroken and shocked to even be writing this.
"Our beautiful new puppy Mr Chai was taken ill in the last few days and tragically has passed away.
"Chai became our whole world in the short time we had him and we couldn't have take any better care of him.
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"We loved him so much and he brought us so much happiness than we can describe."
The reality star continued: "We are really hoping that we can get some clearer answers in the coming days whilst we wait for details and more information from the veterinary experts.
"Myself and Tommy are completely in shock and truly devastated. In a world currently full of tragedy and loss, we understand there are far greater issues than this, we just need to share this information in order to start the process of trying to accept and over come this awful situation.
"We are asking for some time and respect so that we can come to terms with this immense sadness and loss of our beautiful puppy."
With respect to Molly-Mae's statements about the death of Mr Chai, a pathology report undertaken in June following the publication of this article, was found to be inconclusive as to the cause of death