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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Entertainment
Kate Lally

Love Island's Jacques O'Neill unrecognisable in throwback snap

Love Island bombshell Jacques O'Neill entered the villa on Sunday night.

Gemma Owen's ex, he is also a professional rugby league player. Single Islanders Afia and Paige received a text inviting them to the garden for a date with new arrival Jacques.

Paige was first to head out on a date with Jacques as the other girls look on from the terrace. Gemma gasped: “Oh my god, no, that's my ex boyfriend.” Afia asked Gemma: “How long were you with him for?” Gemma replied: “Eight months.” When asked when they broke up she added: “A year and a half ago.”

READ MORE: Michael Owen hits back at vile tweets about Love Island's Gemma

Asked why he was single in an interview released by the show, Jacques who underwent surgery for a hamstring injury, said: “I split up with my ex and then I was seeing someone else. I was concentrating so much on my rugby and then I had that injury. I think it needs to be the right person, at the right time.”

The 23-year-old quit the Castleford Tigers Rugby club to enter the Love Island villa. Castleford have first option to re-sign O'Neill if he decides to resume his rugby league career after his reality TV venture.

Jacques has clearly been into rugby for most of his life, with a throwback photo on Instagram showing his love of the game when he was just 17 years old. Jacques is unrecognisable in the snap, in which he looks very baby-faced.

Captioning the post, from January 2016, he said: "Toughest game I've ever played in last night against @OfficialBullsRL, unbelievable experience making my debut last week against York then playing last night against Bradford, loved it!! Will never forget it, massive respect to my mum who has never missed a game since I started playing at 5 years old much love x"

Love Island continues tonight at 9pm on ITV2 and the ITV Hub

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