It was a devastating blow for the Love Islanders on Tuesday, July 12 as 23-year-old rugby player Jacques O'Neill revealed to his fellow Islanders that he'd made the decision to leave the villa. Jacques, who was known to Islander Gemma Owens as her ex-boyfriend before he came in, entered the villa after the first week on day seven and quickly formed a romantic connection with Welsh paramedic from Swansea, Paige Thorne, 24.
But now the Cumbrian sportsman has called it quits on his time there, despite being coupled up with and having strong feelings towards Paige, because he said he no longer feels like himself and wants to return to being the best version that he can be.
The decision comes after the Castleford Tigers' player witnessed newcomer Adam Collard, who viewers may recognise as bad boy bombshell from series 4, pulling Paige for a chat in which he told her he wanted to put his cards on the table and get to know her.
Read more: Who is Adam Collard on Love Island, what series was he on and who did he couple up with?
He was seen to be getting rather hot headed when some of the Love Island girls - Paige not included - revealed the contents of their conversations with the new 26-year-old Islander while the boys were out of the villa on a boys' day out.
Viewers saw Jacques' temperature rising when Paige didn't reveal too much about Adam and their conversation and soon, it was Jacques who Adam was pulling for a chat to clear the air. Asking how Adam and Paige's conversation went, Jacques tells Adam iciliy to "crack on, boy", seemingly unphased by the new boy's interest in her.
But it seems that Jacques was more bothered about his instruction than he let on. When the pair got into their bed, he says: "If you wanted to get to know him, clearly that's fine. But I don't want to see it, I think it's going to break me."
In the night, viewers saw Jacques, whose "actions at the minute are not up to scratch" according to Paige, going outside to sit on the sofas, clearly mulling something over. When the sun came up, it seems Jacques had made a decision and took Paige up to the terrace to air his feelings.
Before the truth was revealed, Jacques took to the diary room to offload: "If someone told me I was actually going to find a connection in here, I would have said: 'shut up, mate'. But no, I found the best connection I've ever had. I don't want to f**k it up because I don't want to lose her, so."
Speaking to the 24-year-old Welsh girl on the terrace, Jacques begins to open up, his tears shielded by sunglasses: "You mean so much to me, you know that. The past two weeks, I think we've just... it's hard in here, I'm finding it hard. I didn't think I would and I'm trying to shut it off all the time and trying to put a brave face on but things are getting to me.."
Holding Paige's hand, he continues: "I just wish I could finish my journey off with you in here but I'm going to go home today." As Paige begins to break down, Jacques reassures her that he'll be waiting for her when she comes out of the villa: "You're still young in your time here, I'm not... you just do what you need to do. And listen, I'll be waiting for you. You just do what you have to do. Don't even think about me while you're here"
While Paige tells him she "obviously" doesn't want to see him go, she does say that she wants him to be happy. "I just know for us to work I need to get back to myself, and the only way to get back to myself is going home," Jacques says with a sigh. "So that's what I'm going to do cause I can't carry on like this. I can't do it...
"You can have the best time without me, do not feel guilty for not leaving with me. I'm picking you up at the airport. Taxi's not picking you up, I'm your taxi. "
After Paige, it was time to tell the rest of the Islanders and so, like every big moment and reveal on the show, they gathered around the firepit. He begins by saying: "So, I feel like lately I just can't be myself. So, I'm trying my best but I'm not a fake person. I'm not going to start faking things and act like I'm ok when things inside aren't actually okay. So, I'm going to be leaving. Today.
"I just can't stick around and not be myself. It's not fair to me and it's defnitely not fair to Paige. For me and Paige to work, I need to be my best. And if that means removing myself from the situation and waiting for Paige when she gets out, then that's what I'm going to do."
With the news lingering in the air and tears flowing from all Islanders, Adam approaches Jacques and gives him a hug, showing there is no animosity between them. "I'm going to miss the f**k out of you," Dami says, while Andrew tells Jacques: "You've honestly been a brother to me". But its Luca's reactin that viewers can't seem to cope with.
"I don't think I'd even get this upset if Gemma left," Luca Bish tells Jacques, crying.
As he prepared to leave the villa for good, Jacques told Paige in private that he'd have wanted her to be his girlfriend and reinforced that he's going to wait, seemingly hinting at feelings stronger than lust. "I don't want to tell you, but I do. I do".
One user wrote on Twitter: "Not me crying because Luca didn’t leave with Jacques #loveisland", while another said: "Luca is gonna be the one most affected by Jacques departure not even Paige #LoveIsland". Another commented on the pair's firm friendship: "#Jacques and luca had more chemistry with each other rather than gemma and paige #LoveIsland"
Viewers were quick to voice their emotion over Jacques' goodbye.
@sophieevanss wrote: Jacques [crying face emoji] didn’t always agree with his behaviour but that was hard to watch. #loveisland".
@amylou353 said: "Okay Jacques leaving did have me balling my eyes out stop it #LoveIsland"
Love Island continues at 9pm on ITV2 and ITV Hub. Episodes are available the following morning on BritBox. For more showbiz and television stories get our newsletter here.
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