Love Island viewers were left shocked last night when Jacques O'Neill decided to leave the villa.
Jacques has been the subject of some huge drama on the show recently as his relationship with Paige Thorne hit the rocks after he kissed another girl during Casa Amor.
But Paige later became frustrated at the way Jacques communicated to her and their relationship was starting to strain again after the entry of new bombshell Adam Collard.
In emotional scenes during last night's episode, Jacques revealed to Paige that he'd been struggling in the villa.
He told her: “I'm finding it hard in here.
“I'm trying to put a brave face on it but things are getting to me.
“I just wish I could finish my journey with you in here, but I'm gonna go home today."
Explaining his decision to the other Islanders, he said: “I can't stick around and not be myself. It's not fair on me, and it’s not fair on Paige."
Jacques has now become the second Islander this year to quit the villa, leaving fans concerned about the mental health support available on the show.
Here's everything we know about the help that contestants get.
Jacques' villa exit leaves fans concerned about mental health
Jacques' sudden exit from the villa has left many viewers concerned about his mental health as he broke down in tears on the show while he explained he'd been struggling.
Fans quickly took to Twitter to express their concerns.
One viewer said: "I’m glad Jacques recognised he wasn’t doing well mentally and left. I just hope he gets therapy because he really needs it."
While another said: "Feel sorry for Jacques and I really hope ITV help him with the appropriate aftercare.
"His actions were bang out of order, but his mental health is clearly suffering and coming out to see all these nasty tweets will just have such a negative effect on him."
Jacques is the second Islander to decide to leave the villa this year; earlier in the series Liam Llewellyn quit the show after less than a week.
Explaining his decision, he said: “Obviously we all came here for the same reason but I haven’t really been feeling I have been giving 100% Liam.
"I know what 100% Liam looks like and I am miles off that.”
What mental health support do Love Islanders get?
Throughout the years many concerns have been raised about the mental health support on Love Island, prompting ITV bosses to put in place more resources to help the stars cope with their new-found fame.
Concerns were first flagged when former contestant Sophie Gradon took her own life in 2019. Two months later another former Islander, Mike Thalassitis, also died by suicide.
In February 2020 the show's host Caroline Flack also tragically took her own life, which prompted the #BeKind movement.
2018 contestant Niall Aslam revealed the he left the show after having stress-induced psychosis.
Following the criticism of the mental health support available, ITV revealed it had extended their Love Island duty of care protocols ahead of this year's series.
As part of mental health care under the protocol, mental health professionals are engaged throughout the whole series, including pre-filming and aftercare, and senior team members working on the show have had training in Mental Health First Aid.
As well as this, before the series every islander undergoes psychological and medical assessments by an independent doctor and psychological consultant.
Before entering the villa, the Islanders also watch a video of the show's executive producer interviewing former Islanders about their experiences on the show. Topics covered include how to cope with being filmed 24/7, the support provided to family members, dealing with social media trolling, and adapting to life outside the show.
All of the Islanders have access to a welfare team dedicated to them, which offers:
- Comprehensive psychological support
- Training on the impacts of social media and handling potential negativity
- Training on financial management
- Detailed conversations regarding the impact of participation on the show
- A proactive aftercare package which extends support to all Islanders following their participation on the show
- Guidance and advice on taking on management after the show.
