Greg O'Shea has revealed that he was taken out of the Love Island villa and flown back to Ireland for two days in the middle of his stint on the ITV2 show.
The Irish native, who went on to win the show in 2019 alongside ex Amber Gill, was delivered heartbreaking news by producers during his two-week stint on the dating show. Greg, 27, discovered that his beloved grandmother had passed away during filming, and he was given the option to fly home for her funeral.
The former rugby player recalled being taken aside and told the upsetting news, explaining he felt 'like a fool' sitting in Mallorca while his family were at home dealing with the impact of his grandmother's devastating passing.
“The next day they flew me back to Ireland,” Greg told the Sunday World. “I had two bodyguards with me, I had a hat on and my face covered.”
After the funeral, Greg got back on a plane straight away and headed back into the villa because he knew it's what his dear grandmother would have wanted.
“It was kind of the aged-old cliché. “our nana wants you to go in and do your best, so just go back in and have a bit of fun," Greg explained.
And after he returned to the villa, Greg ended up winning the series with Newcastle bombshell, Amber Gill.
Although Greg was a late arrival to the villa, having entered on day 44 as a late bombshell, he became an immediate hit with viewers and the villa occupants.
Greg and Amber won the show ahead of Molly-Mae Hague and Tommy Fury, amassing 48.82% of the public vote, but their relationship wasn't to last. The pair called it quits five weeks after the show ended and just hours before Amber was due to fly to Ireland to appear alongside Greg on The Late Late Show.
