Love Island star Jacques O'Neill has spoken out about how he felt when he left and what he plans to do now with his newfound reality TV fame. The former rugby player appeared on Good Morning Britain on Thursday , August 4, to speak to hosts Ben Shephard and Kate Garraway.
They kickstarted their chat by asking Jacques how he is feeling now after leaving the ITV2 dating show weeks before the final, which took place on Monday (August 1), to protect his own mental health.
"When I first came out, I was very scared. I was scared of life and what was to come next for me," the 23-year-old admitted to Kate and Ben. "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'.'"
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He also said: "I planned to delete social media and never been seen again." But soon after, as the dust settled, Jacques was able to see the positive messages being sent to him with fans calling him an "inspiration" and "role model" after his family spoke out about his ADHD diagnosis as he struggled with his emotions in the villa.
He continued: "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."
He also said: "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," Jacques said. "I was getting fully grown men message me and say I was an inspiration. It was overwhelming."
But when the hosts brought up how his family spoke about his ADHD in an Instagram post while in the villa, Jacques responded: "When I got out, I was so ready to delete that." He added: "I was angry at my mum I didn't want an excuse for my behaviour. It wasn't that at all, it was my mum was getting hate I think she felt she had to."
Jacques now feels like he has an important role to play for others and will use his new profile to help: "My plan moving forward is to work with kids with ADHA, disabilities," the islander said. "A lot of people come out thinking about money but if I can put a smile one someone's face it makes my day."
Jacques appeared to have found what he was looking for in Mallorca when he coupled up with Paige Thorne. However, the return of Casa Amor threw a spanner in the works and Jacques decided to explore if his feelings for the Welsh paramedic were genuine - by getting to know a couple of the new girls before kissing Cheyanne Kerr.
His antics in the main villa, while Paige was away, were soon outed following the 'Stick or Twist' recoupling which saw him stay with his love interest. He then tried to make amends with Paige and just as they started to reconnect, 2018 Love Island star Adam Collard made a dramatic return as a bombshell contestant. And the not-so-newbie made it clear that he had his sights set on Paige which led to tensions in the villa, particularly when Jacques was told Adam had been 'sl****** him off'.
Things then came to a head and a tearful Jacques ended up telling Paige he needed to "get back to himself" and was seen explaining to Paige that he felt the best thing for their relationship was for him to return home so he could be at his "best" for her. He told her that he'd way for her but Love Island viewers have since seen her striking up a connection with Adam.
After leaving the villa, Jacques has said that taking part in the show was the 'worst decision of his life'. But he has since signed to Manchester's Social PR, run by former islander Scott Thomas, and continues to gain a following on social media.
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