Love Island’s Jacques O’Neill cuddles with supportive mum and reveals his mental health is in ‘better place’ following Aftersun appearance-Tori Brazier-Entertainment – Metro

Jacques has had support from his mum since leaving the villa early (Picture: Instagram/jacques9oneill_/ITV)

Love Island star Jacques O’Neill has offered a positive mental health update and shared an aborable snap with his supportive mum after his tearful decision to leave the show earlier this month.

Former rugby pro Jacques, who was coupled up with paramedic Paige Thorne, admitted he couldn’t ‘carry on like this’ and said he didn’t feel like he was being himself as he announced his departure in scenes which aired on July 12.

In an interview he gave after his exit, the 23-year-old branded going on the show the ‘worst decision of my life’ as he shared that he had felt ‘so mentally drained’.

He also opened up on how his ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) had started to become an issue as ‘any little thing’ started to bother him as he coped with ‘feeling anxious quite a lot’.

However, on Saturday he shared a beaming picture of himself with his arm around his mum Janet Wright on Instagram, which he captioned: ‘This woman ❤️🌎’

He posted the same picture on his stories, adding: ‘Back to the standard Saturday taking R [sic] jan out for tea.’

The ex rugby star was full of gratitude for his mum and his supporters (Picture: Instagram/jacques9oneill_)

Jacques shared another picture of them together too, in which he tagged his mum – who met him at the airport following his early Love Island exit – and posted a red heart next to her name.

He also took to Twitter to thank fans for their support and share that he was now in a ‘better place mentally’.

‘I just want you all to know that I’m in such a better place mentally,’ he wrote. ‘A huge reason for that is because of all the love and support I have received! I’d be in a much darker place if it wasn’t for all of your kind words, so thank you again I appreciate it so much.’

The rugby player was tearful as he explained his reasons for leaving the show (Picture: ITV)

Jacques appeared on spin-off Aftersun days later to discuss his time on Love Island (Picture: ITV)

Jacques went on Aftersun on July 17 to discuss his exit from the show, in an appearance some fans branded ‘super uncomfortable’ and ‘sad’.

Sources also claim that he was reluctant to go on the spin-off show but told The Mail on Sunday that he felt he head ‘little choice but to agree’ to be interviewed by host Laura Whitmore as they alleged his appearance was ‘stipulated in his contract’.

In addition, they said he was ‘unhappy’ to appear following the return of former contestant Adam Collard, who quickly cracked on with Paige after flirting with her before Jacques decided to leave.

He has vowed to wait for Paige, who he was coupled up with (Picture: Rex/Shutterstock)

ITV denied claims Jacques was forced to appear on Aftersun (Picture: ITV/Rex/Shutterstock)

They added: ‘Jacques kept saying he wasn’t mentally well enough. It was quite obvious that was the case, especially when you read what he said after he came out of the villa.’

However, ITV have refuted the claims that Jacques was under any pressure to appear on Aftersun as they said they would ‘always respect’ an Islander’s decision not to participate.

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A spokesperson told Metro.co.uk: ‘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.’

Metro.co.uk has contacted a rep for Jacques for comment.

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