LOVE Island fans have expressed concerns for Paige Thorne’s mental health after Jacuqes O’Neill said he wanted her as his girlfriend after cheating on Casa Amor.
Paige23, was seen gasping and sobbing last night as the rugby player revealed he was leaving the villa.
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A viewer hit Jacques on Reddit, writing, “I couldn’t believe he said he wanted to be her boyfriend and suggested he loved her when he was messing around days before.
“I hope Love Island therapists tackle this with Paige, because that kind of behavior shouldn’t be framed as a tear-jerking moment. The more I think about it, the more I cook. I might even complain.”
Another commented: “I really hope he didn’t get too bad in Paige’s head, and that she can stay at the Villa, and if she doesn’t find a connection, have fun with her friends. She’s been through it and regardless of you opinion on how she treated him, there are so many girls who would have treated him thousands worse.”
At the end of last night’s show, Jacques and Paige went to chat alone on the patio, where he got emotional as he explained that he was going home because “thing got me”.
Paige started to cry and Jacques added: “I just know that if we have to work, I need us to come back to myself and the only way to come back to myself is to go home.”
To announce the news to his fellow islanders, he gathered everyone around the fire pit and explained, “I’ve just been feeling lately, I just can’t be myself.
“I’m trying my best, but I’m not a fake person and I’m not going to fake things and pretend I’m okay when things aren’t really okay inside.
“To make me and Paige work, I have to be at my best and if that means getting myself out of the situation and waiting for Paige to get out, then that’s what I’m going to do.”
Earlier in the episode, Jacques became confused when the other islanders told him that new arrival Adam Collard had talked to Paige about his behavior at the villa.
As he confronted Paige about the situation with: Adam he became short with her and rudely told fellow contestant Billy Brown to leave, fueling further tensions between the pair.
After they discussed his rash reaction to the situation, he seemed withdrawn and later he could be seen leaving the bedroom in the middle of the night to sit outside alone.
The next morning, Jacques told Luca that he was going to “try to come back to myself”, but finally decided that he wanted to leave.
A Love Island spokesperson said: “We fully support his decision and look forward to the future for Jacques.”
ITV has an extensive list of duty of care protocols, while the welfare services offered to islanders include comprehensive psychological support, detailed conversations with islanders about the impact of participating in the show, a proactive aftercare package that provides support to all islanders following their participation in the show and guidance and advice on taking over management after the show.
A wellness team is also solely dedicated to the islanders, both during the show and afterwards.
Love Island continues at 9pm on ITV2 and ITV Hub.
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