Love Island’s Jacques reveals hateful comments made him ‘want to go into hiding’ after leaving villa

Love Island star Jacques O’Neill has opened up about his shock exit from the villa, revealing that he ‘wanted to go into hiding’ and was initially ‘angry’ with his mum.

The twenty-three-year-old came onto the show as a bombshell on day seven, and was quick to strike up a romance with Welsh paramedic Paige Thorne. 

However, his behaviour with new arrivals while the girls were away in Casa Amor caused a rift between the pair and, after twenty-nine days in the villa, the former rugby player announced he would be leaving, saying he felt he could ‘no longer be myself’. 

Since his departure from the show, Jacques has been inundated with hateful comments on social media, something he has now said made him ‘want to go into hiding’. 

Appearing on Good Morning Britain yesterday (August 4th), Jacques discussed his experience in the aftermath of the show, saying: “When I first came out, I was very scared. I was scared of life and what was to come next for me.

“All I wanted to do was go into hiding with my mum. I was getting so much hate. We were getting death threats so I said to my mum ‘we just need to stay indoors’.”

He added: “I planned to delete social media and never been seen again.” 

However, Jacques also admitted he was initially ‘angry’ with his mum after finding out she’d spoken about his ADHD in an Instagram post while he was in the villa, something he says he didn’t want used as an excuse for his behaviour.

He said: “When I got out, I was so ready to delete that [Instagram post]. I was angry at my mum… I didn’t want an excuse for my behaviour. It wasn’t that at all. My mum was getting hate, I think she felt she had to.”

But once the dust had settled, Jacques said he was able to see all the positive messages being sent to him, with fans calling him an ‘inspiration’ and a ‘role model’ for others living with ADHD.

Read More: Love Island’s Liam Llewellyn breaks silence on his decision to leave the villa

He explained: “I then started to get messages saying I’m a role model with the ADHD thing and I decided I need to stand up and be there for them. I was overwhelmed with it all.

“I’ve been posting a lot saying thank you because if it wasn’t for them, I would still be in that dark place, if it wasn’t for the people giving me love I would be in a bad place.”

“I suddenly thought if people are thinking this about me, I can’t just turn my back on it. I need to stand up and do something. I was getting fully grown men message me and say I was an inspiration. It was overwhelming.”

He then revealed that he plans on using his new platform to help those living with the condition, that affects behaviour and concentration. 

He said: “My plan moving forward is to work with kids with ADHA, disabilities. A lot of people come out thinking about money but if I can put a smile one someone’s face it makes my day.”

Visit the NHS website for more information on ADHD, its symptoms and various treatments available.