Former Love Island contestant Jacques O’Neill has been offered welfare support from his old rugby club, the Castleford Tigers, after quitting the villa to look after his mental health.
Upon returning to the UK, Jacques - who was embroiled in a row with returning bombshell Adam Collard over his partner Paige Thorne prior to his departure - visited the club, where he was offered support.
The club said: "Castleford Tigers’ primary focus with Jacques at this stage will be to support him."
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It comes amid concern from viewers for the rugby player, who left the club to join the series as a surprise bombshell where ex-girlfriend Gemma Owen is a contestant, after he broke down following a row - days after his family called for compassion, revealing he suffers from ADHD.
His club’s coach, Lee Radford, said: "The boys were really pleased to see him. Like any walk of life there are obstacles in front of you, unfortunately. Making sure people are around you, whether that be your family or club-related, to help you deal with that is pretty important."
Jacques was visibly troubled by his last few days in the villa, and told his fellow Islanders he was not being himself and wanted to leave the show to focus on his mental health.
He told the Islanders: "Things are hard in here, I’m finding it hard. And I didn’t think I would and I’m trying to shut it off all the time and I’m trying to put a brave face on but things are getting to me."
His candid admission drew praise from the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, with spokesperson Lara Woycot saying: "Seeing a contestant from a popular show like Love Island talking about their mental health and choosing to leave the show for their benefit is admirable.
"Opening up about one’s mental health on national TV is a great step forward to normalising these struggles."
But the rugby player had previously drawn complaints to Ofcom for what viewers claimed was his "misogynistic" behaviour.
The TV regulator received 57 complaints last week, predominantly regarding Jacques’ behaviour.
It comes amid criticisms of ITV for the scenes which followed the return of "ultimate bombshell" Adam to the villa, where he vowed to "ruffle feathers".
He immediately caused friction between the pairs by telling the girls how he and other viewers perceived their partners’ behaviours, while the boys were out of the villa.
This prompted Jacques to become upset, and launch into an angry outburst followed by tearful scenes which were aired on Tuesday night.
Some viewers took to social media to accuse the broadcasters of "over-stepping the line" with the controversial addition of Adam, and claimed they had not shown enough “care” for the contestants’ wellbeing.
The broadcasters said prior to the new series starting that they had improved their mental health support, which follows the suicides of former contestants Sophie Gradon and Mike Thalassitis, as well as the show’s former host Caroline Flack.
During his first stint on the show in 2018, Adam dated a succession of female contestants. After one exchange with his former partner Rosie Williams, charity Women’s Aid accused him of "gaslighting and emotional abuse", and highlighted how his behaviour was a warning sign.
He went on to date Zara McDermott, who he met on the show, who later described their relationship as "toxic".
Adam’s family have insisted he has changed since he first appeared on the show, and refer to him as "Adam 2.0".
They said they would block any negative comments sent to him on social media, and added: "It has been four years since Adam last appeared in the villa and he has grown a lot as a person which we can’t wait for you to see throughout this journey."
Adam took Paige for a date the night after Jacques left the villa.
A spokesperson for ITV said: "Welfare and duty of care towards our contributors is always our primary concern, and we take the emotional well-being of all the Islanders extremely seriously.
"We have dedicated welfare producers and psychological support on hand at all times who monitor and regularly speak to all of the Islanders in private and off camera, especially if someone appears to be upset.
"All the Islanders are therefore fully supported by the professionals on site and by their friends in the villa. Islanders can always reach out and talk to someone if they feel the need."
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