Love Island bosses have denied rumours that former contestant Jacques O'Neill felt 'pressured' to appear on Aftersun following his dramatic exit from the show.
Jacques decided to quit the villa two weeks ago after feeling 'broken' and saying that he didn't feel like himself.
The rugby star then went on to finish his Love Island journey by appearing on spin-off show Aftersun and speaking to Laura Whitmore about the reasons for his exit.
At the time some viewers questioned if Jacques should be appearing on the follow-up programme after he was shown scenes of his former partner kissing another contestant.
Ahead of his sofa chat with Laura, a clip was played of Adam Collard kissing Paige Thorne who Jacques was coupled up with and told he would wait for until she left the show.
READ MORE: Love Island's Jacques reacts to Paige kissing Adam after hopes to continue romance
There have been reports that Jacques felt pressured to appear on Aftersun due to it being what all other islanders do.
The Daily Mail reported that sources have claimed Jacques felt that he had little choice to go on the show due to it being part of his contract.
They said that the rugby player was left unhappy going on the show.
However, ITV have denied pressuring Jacques to go on Aftersun and support support a cast member's decision not to appear.
A spokesperson for ITV said: "It is untrue to suggest that Jacques was forced or pressured to appear on Aftersun. We would always respect an Islander's decision not to participate in the programme, in the same way we would respect an Islander's decision to leave the Villa."
After seeing the video of Paige kissing Adam, Jacques was asked by Laura how he felt about the situation.
He said: "We had a good connection and were really getting on. I did see things on the outside working between us but as I say, she's doing what she needs to do."
In the emotional episode where Jacques decided to leave he said: "I just can't be myself so I'm trying my best but I'm not a fake person.
"I'm not gonna start faking things and act like I'm, okay when things inside are not okay, so I'm gonna be leaving today."
While Jacques was still in the villa, his family told his followers that he was diagnosed with ADHD (Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) when he was nine.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is a condition that includes symptoms such as being restless and having trouble concentrating.
Jacques posted a statement on his Instagram page addressing reasons why he decided to leave the show and how he was feeling.
Alongside a collage of photos of his time in the villa he wrote: "Where do I start.. What a rollercoaster of emotions that was from start to finish! Since leaving the villa I’ve had time to reflect on my time being in there and if I’m going to be completely honest I wasn’t mentally prepared for how it was going to be at all - underestimated it massively!"
He explained that despite the first two weeks of his time on the show being the happiest he'd been in a long time, the last two weeks was the worst.
Jacques' reps have been contacted for comment.
