Niall Aslam – a former contestant on the ongoing season of Love Island – has revealed why he abruptly left the villa after seven days on the ITV2 show.
The broadcaster previously explained that Aslam quit the show for “personal reasons”, the construction worker now deciding to elaborate in a post on Instagram.
“Right, so here it goes... for this post I am putting my laying it on thick brush down and hoping to hit the nation with a love potion,” Aslam wrote.
“For far too long I have suffered in silence and not acknowledged a massive fact about my life which going into the villa has led me to finally realise and accept.
“When I was a young child I was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome, a fact that until this post has never shared outside of my close family. Growing up was extremely difficult for me and I often felt out of place. I always felt that people didn’t understand me, yet I was afraid to reveal my true scales as I did not want the label or stigma that was attached to it.”
”But now I think it is important that I come forward, not only so that I can finally be honest with myself and to those around me, but also so that other individuals in my position can embrace their true colours. It’s not been an easy ride for me to come to terms with this fact but I am glad that I can now accept who I am, and am looking forward to my next chapter."
Aslam continues by thanking ITV for the opportunity to appear on Love Island as well as the British public for all their support.
He concludes: “Now it’s time for this rainbow fish to dive deep into the big blue ocean and show the world what I’m all about – there’s more layers to come!"
Asperger Syndrome falls under the Autism spectrum disorder and is a condition that affects someone's social skills. You can find out more about the condition on the NHS website and the National Autistic Society's page.
Meanwhile, the drama continues on Love Island, with two contestants recently being evicted form the villa and a batch of new men and women being brought onto the show.
Love Island continues every day (except Saturdays) at 9pm on ITV2.
