Following the uproar over his behavior during the controversial Casa Amor episodes and the reappearance of “bombshell” former competitor Adam Collard, Jacques O’Neill left the villa in scenes aired earlier this week. The 23-year-old stated that he no longer felt he could be himself.
Love Island has stated that it takes its duty of care towards competitors “very seriously” in response to Jacques O’Neill’s comments that joining the program was “the worst decision of my life” in an interview following his shocking early exit.
Following uproar surrounding the famed Casa Amor episodes that reveal new “bombshell” candidates, the 23-year-old decided to quit his time in the TV villa.
In dramatic scenes that aired earlier this week, he revealed to the remaining Love Island contestants that he didn’t feel like himself.
He stated, “I’m doing my best, but I’m not a false person, so I’m not going to pretend that I’m okay when I’m not.”
Now, in a recent interview with The Sun that he uploaded on social media, Jacques has discussed his mental health difficulties with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and stated that he “couldn’t manage” in the TV villa, adding, “Doing Love Island was the worst decision of my life.
During an interview, Jacques stated: “I was on the brink of tears. I was so psychologically exhausted that I simply wanted to go home and regroup.
“It broke me worse than I already was broken. I was crying uncontrollably. I couldn’t deal. I was physically miserable. It was the worst feeling I had ever experienced.”
A spokesman for Love Island told that the show conducts “rigorous and exhaustive inspections” on candidates’ physical and mental health before their clearance for the show. “We take this matter quite seriously,” they stated.
When announcing his sudden departure from Love Island, Jacques stated that he felt it was important for his relationship with Paige Thorne, 24, for him to be at his “best” for her.
Following the revelation that he had kissed newbie Cheyanne Kerr while Paige was away in Casa Amor, the rugby star had spent several days trying to win her back.
Following these moments, Love Island brought Adam Collard, a contentious candidate from a previous series in 2018, who expressed interest in Paige.
Jacques told The Sun that he had begun to fear that “things could go tragically wrong.”
He continued, “At home, you can separate yourself from problems, but in that environment, you had to deal with every situation. At that time, I removed my microphone and walked right out the front doors because I desperately wanted to leave that place.”
Jacques, a native of Leeds, returned to the United Kingdom on Tuesday and visited his former rugby team, Castleford Tigers, on Wednesday.
The rugby club released him from his contract days before he entered the villa and promised they would have the first opportunity to re-sign him if he desired to restart his rugby league career.
Lee Radford, the head coach, commented on Jacques’s decision to leave the hit show for his mental health “Unfortunately, there are challenges in front of you in every aspect of life. It’s vital that you have people around you – whether family or club members – who can assist you in dealing with this.”
Before the fifth season, ITV unveiled in May 2019 a full new set of duty of care procedures.
Before entering the villa, they began providing participants with instruction on inclusiveness, including language and behavior, in the most current season.
In response to Jacques’s interview, the Love Island spokesperson issued the following statement: “Due to confidentiality and our duty of care towards the Islanders, we are unable to comment on any individual’s medical records. However, we have rigorous and extensive checks in place to assess Islanders’ physical and mental health before being cleared to enter the Villa. We take this matter extremely seriously.
“As stated at the time, Jacques took the decision to depart, which we respected. Islanders are permitted to leave if they so desire, and we would never force anyone to remain in the Villa.”
