‘I was scared of life’: Love Island star Jacques O’Neill says he received ‘death threats’ after quitting villa

‘I was very scared. I was scared of life and what was to come next for me,’ the rugby player said

Love Island star Jacques O’Neill has said he was “scared of life” after quitting the villa due to mental health reasons.

The 23-year-old rugby league player appeared on Good Morning Britain on Thursday (4 August), saying “life was very different” after he returned home.

“I was very scared. I was scared of life and what was to come next for me,” he told Kate Garraway and Ben Shephard.

O’Neill added that after entering the holding villa (where exiting contestants are kept before flying home), he was able to access the internet and witness the level of abuse he was receiving from people online.

“All I wanted to do was just be with my mum and literally just go into hiding. I was getting so much hate and me and my mum were getting death threats and everything.

“I was like, ‘Mum, we just need to stay indoors, I’m going to delete social media and I’m never going to be seen.’”

O’Neill, who was the ex-boyfriend of fellow islander Gemma Owen, said his outlook on his situation changed when he realised other people with ADHD were reaching out with messages of support.

“I can’t just turn my back on people who have ADHD,” he said. “I need to stand up and actually do something.”

On Love Island, O’Neill was coupled up with Paige Thorne, but their relationship came undone after it was revealed he had kissed fellow contestant Cheyanne Kerr. Thorne was then courted by Adam Collard.

Jacques and Paige on ‘Love Island’ (ITV2)

In a previous interview, O’Neill explained that he was worried he might attack Collard. “I thought if I don’t get myself out things could go horribly wrong and I could get physical,” he said. “At home you can remove yourself from situations, but in there you had to deal with every situation, and in that moment I took my microphone off, and walked straight through the front doors because I just wanted to get out of that place.”

He also opened up about how his experience on the show affected his mental health, saying he “couldn’t cope” in the villa and adding: “Doing Love Island was the worst decision of my life.”

He said he was “ready to break down” and was “feeling so mentally drained” when he left.

Love Island ended on Monday (1 August) in a finale that saw Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu and Davide Sanclimenti win the contest and £50,000 in a landslide victory.