Love Island’s Jacques O’Neill has been slammed by fans of the ITV2 dating show after a video emerged in which he appears to mock co-star Tasha Ghouri during the live final.
In the clip, Jacques is heard impersonating 2022 show winner Davide Sanclimenti as Tasha reads her declaration of love to Andrew Le Page during the last night in the villa.
In the video, which fans have claimed was posted to the rugby player’s private Instagram stories, he can be heard laughing with a friend as he shouts at the TV: “You are a liar, an actress, get the f**k out”.
Love Island fans have subsequently taken to social media to accuse the 23-year-old of bullying the finalist, despite opening up about his own mental health struggles.
Taking to Twitter to respond to the clip, one fan wrote: “Jacques said mental health matters, unless you’re Tasha,” as another wrote: “Jacques mocking Tasha in his private story is not only DISGUSTING but a COWARD move. Only a few weeks ago he was advocating for mental health…”
A third fan wrote: “I was willing to give Jacques the benefit of the doubt and that he was truly working on himself. Then you see the clip of him belittling Tasha who's done nothing to him.
“Redemption arc folded like a deck of cards. He’s still a bullying p**** and using [mental health] is even worse.”
One outraged viewer wrote: “He needs to be ‘cancelled.’ It’s enough already. This behaviour towards Tasha needs to be stamped out.”
Another commented: “SO GROSS. If it was just "banter" then he wouldn't have posted it on his private story.”
And a fourth raged: “I’m not even shocked I won’t lie to you he radiates bully energy watching him as the season went on reminded me exactly like the guys I went to school with who bullied those they saw weaker than them but would disguise it all in the name of banter when it’s anything but. Hope this opens people eyes to the exact type of guy Jacques is.”
The ITV2 dating show has been the subject of more than 5,000 complaints to broadcasting watchdog Ofcom in the past two weeks, relating to alleged 'misogynistic behaviour' and 'bullying' by some of the male contestants.
Former contestants Josh and Billy have said they felt for Tasha as she struggled at times during the series, adding that producers could have stepped in at any time to notify the Islanders how their actions would have been perceived by viewers.
