LOVE Island’s top producer has confirmed that it was entirely Jacques O’Neill’s decision to walk.
The rugby player, 23, shocked viewers when he quit the show this week for his mental well-being – leaving fans speculating there was more to his exit than met the eye.
But boss Mike Spencer insisted it was completely up to Jacques, as he praised him for being so honest.
Speaking to Deadline he said: “Jacques is amazing. We love Jacques. When you date, your emotions are naturally up and down. Finding love is not a simple thing, that’s why the show is so relatable.
“Jacques was on his own journey and he had a strong connection with Paige but sometimes you have to think about yourself and that’s what Jacques did. We respected his decision to head home but I think he’s excited to be on Aftersun on Sunday to discuss his journey.”
He continued: “All the contestants are adults. We speak to the families of the Islanders every day. They have a point of contact and they’re updated every day.
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“We’ve never had a parent who told us they wanted to pull their child out of the show. The contestants are all adults so it’s down to them more than anyone else.”
Jacques left the show after a tough few days as he struggling to placate Paige Thorne, 24, over his cheating with other girls during the show’s Casa Amor relationship test.
Things reached breaking point for him when Adam Collard entered the villa and seemed to set his sights on Paige.
At first viewers thought he had walked following a row with Adam after he was seen getting very heated.
Others speculated the show’s infamous Movie Night took place before he walked, after hearing Indiyah Pollack’s odd comment last night.
A fan wrote: “They’ve blanked it out, it was alluded to tonight when Indiyah said ‘now the air had cleared we can get back to normal.'”
During his time in the villa Jacques was accused of “bullying” and “gaslighting” Paige.
His family shared that the lad from Cumbria struggles with his emotions due to ADHD.
