ITV Love Island's Jacques O'Neill claims he was left 'broken' by the show but bosses urged him to carry on
Love Island star Jacques O’Neill has told how he was left 'broken' by the hit ITV2 dating show but claims producers urged him to carry on. Rugby player Jacques, 23, quit the TV villa last week after clashing with new arrival Adam Collard over his partner Paige Thorne.
He admitted bosses were concerned before the show about his ADHD (Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) which was diagnosed when he was nine. But he told The Sun he didn’t expect it to be such an issue after he stopped taking the medication Ritalin for it seven years ago.
Love Island says it has 'rigorous and extensive checks in place' to assess Islanders' mental health before being cleared to enter the villa, set away from the outside world in Mallorca. And the show says it would never put pressure on someone to stay after Jacques claimed he was coaxed back by ITV bosses the day after his exit before saying 'I’m ready to go home.'
READ MORE: ITV Love Island boss reveals why Jacques really left the show and confirms he's set to speak out on Aftersun
Jacques says he 'couldn’t cope' on the show, which pairs-up singles in the sunshine with the winning couple scooping £50,000, and said: "Doing Love Island was the worst decision of my life.”
He recalled: “I was ready to break down. I was feeling so mentally drained, I just wanted to go home and get myself right.
"It broke me and I was already broken. I was crying my eyes out. I couldn’t cope. I was literally feeling awful. It was the worst I’d ever felt in my life.”
Jacques, who had just been through a rocky time with paramedic Paige, 24, after he kissed bombshell arrival Cheyanne Kerr during the Casa Amor relationship test, was rattled by the arrival of hunky Adam, 26, who made his interest in Paige
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