THE telly boyfriend of Dancing On Ice hopeful Liberty Poole has told of his heartbreak after she suddenly dumped him while they were planning their future.
Devastated Jake Cornish says he was deeply in love with “Lib” after they coupled up in the Love Island villa and tried to win her back after their dramatic on-air break-up.
But he was snubbed, and now the 24-year-old model doubts Liberty — on the ITV ice skating contest every Sunday — ever loved him.
As she gets praised for her elegant routines on the ice, which have seen her make it to the top half of the leaderboard, her ex has opened his heart.
Today, Jake, from Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, also reveals they did “get cheeky” in the villa but that he struggled with Liberty’s messy habits and Brummie accent.
In an exclusive interview, he said: “I only had one girlfriend before her, my childhood sweetheart. I’d never been dumped and it hurt.
“One minute we were planning a holiday together and arranging to meet each other’s families, the next it was over.
“I was devastated, I couldn’t think straight. My family was asking how my mental health was.
“Something made her decide that we weren’t right for each other and I had to take it on the chin.”
Liberty, 22, and Jake — “Jiberty” to Love Island fans — were tipped to win the ITV2 show.
But Jake, a former water engineer, was mocked for repeatedly calling her his “girlfriend” whenever they had a row.
He was also accused of blowing hot and cold while exhibiting controlling behaviour — claims he strenuously denies.
The female islanders then said he was playing games, making him the villain of series seven.
Read our Dancing on Ice live blog for the latest updates
Just two weeks before the final, Liberty dumped Jake and they dramatically quit the show last August.
Jake was shocked by the public backlash and trolls who targeted him, including one who threatened to stab him in front of his toddler niece.
He said: “Liberty was my cup of tea, but it took me a while to get to know her and for those feelings to grow. I’ve always been with blondes with blue eyes and big boobs — and we clicked.
“We would talk for hours and laugh the entire time. We were planning a future together and saying we couldn’t wait to meet each other’s families. I had genuine feelings for her.
“I was mocked for calling her my girlfriend and the producers even prolonged it so it sounded like ‘girrrrrl-friend’. But what was I supposed to call her?
“I had been in a long-term relationship for seven years before I went on Love Island. I wanted to find love again. I thought I had that with Lib — I was in love.
“When I asked her to be my girlfriend she said, ‘I’ve never loved anyone like you’.”
A clip of Jake saying he did not want to rip off Liberty’s clothes, filmed just days after entering the villa, became key in their break-up.
Producers showed the footage to her during a movie quiz night on week six, and the pair split days later.
Jake said: “Lib is a good-looking girl but there was something that wasn’t giving me that urge early on. I’m not used to Brummie and sometimes I didn’t understand a word she said.
“She did have annoying habits, like when she used to put empty orange juice cartons back in the fridge.
“I am big on cleanliness and my house is spotless. We had banter about her messiness.
‘One minute we were planning a holiday together
Jake Cornish
and arranging to meet each other’s families, the next it was over. I was devastated, I couldn’t think
straight’
“Lib made me laugh, which is priceless. Getting to know her more and kissing and cuddling every day, and getting a bit cheeky in the villa — that speaks for itself.
“I definitely did rip her clothes off in the end. We had a little bit of fun. We’re adults and when you have feelings it’s natural to get closer.”
Liberty cried as she dumped Jake during a heart-to-heart, telling him: “I just don’t think we’re right for each other.”
Jake recalls: “We were both stressed towards the end. You are missing home and you can’t clear your head. And Lib had 14 different people in the villa saying different things about me.
“In the real world you would sort out your problems, but we were in a bubble, constantly being watched. It is intense.
“The break-up was very different on TV to how it was in person. We had a conversation and a kiss and made up, but only part of that conversation was on telly.
“Some of the stuff said about me online afterwards was horrible. I’ve got a niece aged two and one of the worst things said was, ‘Don’t walk your niece to the park because I will slice you up in front of her’.”
When Jake and Liberty arrived back in the UK they secretly gave their relationship another shot, but quickly accepted it could not work.
Now single, he said: “We decided we would give it a try. We were talking, but we had to agree that we were not right for each other.
“When it was announced she was on Dancing On Ice I sent her a message saying, ‘Well done Lib’. She replied, ‘Thank you’ and that is the last time I spoke to her.
“I still haven’t found love, but I don’t think I’d ever get back with Lib.”
PUSSYCAT DOLLS singer Kimberly Wyatt struggles with getting so intimate with pro-partner Mark Hanretty – because her kids watch the show.
The US celebrity, 40, said: “It’s tough. You are sharing space with someone you somewhat barely know.
“My kids are watching this. Hopefully once I get more comfortable, the more I’ll be able to lean into whatever story we are telling.”
Kimberly and her British husband Max Rogers, a model, have three children – Willow, seven, Maple, four, and two-year-old Ford.
She revealed how she had to go into “warrior mode” on the ice to cope with her nerves.
Kimberly said: “There are so many things to consider, as well as cameras. You have to talk yourself into it.”
