Roman Kemp has sung the praises of Love Island contestant Jacques O'Neill following his heart-wrenching display of emotions after he made the decision to quit the ITV2 dating show due to his mental health.
Rugby player Jacques, 23, sensationally called time on his Love Island journey this week after admitting that he was struggling with his thoughts and feelings while cooped up in the villa with the other contestants.
And although Jacques had found 'the best connection of his life' with Welsh bombshell Paige Thorne, he chose to go home in order to 'sort himself out' and 'get back to himself' in order to be his best self when Paige's time on Love Island eventually comes to an end.
Love Island viewers were left sobbing as they watched Jacques say goodbye to his fellow islanders and his new best friend, Luca Bish as the boys hugged and cried on one another's shoulders before saying their final goodbyes.
Following the outpour of emotion from Jacques and Luca, Capital FM's Roman Kemp has praised the Love Island boys for expressing their true emotions and allowing themselves to break down on national TV.
Discussing Jacques' brave decision to pack his bags and leave the Love Island villa, Roman, 29, said: "Jacques has shown his emotions the whole time, and that’s tough for a guy and we commend him."
Roman added: "We lost an Islander yesterday on Love Island. Jacques leaves the show.
"Now for those who don’t remember who Jacques was, Jacques kind of entered the villa late, he was Gemma’s ex-boyfriend, who turned up and there was a big thing, and the boys didn’t like him at first but then they grew to love him.
"And now all of a sudden, he’s wanting to leave because he says his head isn’t in the right place. Fair play to him right, because the whole way through this show, he has shown his emotions the whole time, and that’s tough for a guy.
"You know, he’s a rugby player as well, he’s got this sort of toxic masculinity thing outside where he has to be a certain way and I think a lot of Islanders probably feel like that, but to be fair to him, he’s shown all of his emotions, right and he has put it all out there.
"And if it is genuinely the reason why he’s left, because he feels like his head’s not in the right place, and he needs to sort himself out, then that’s a very brave thing to do and I guess we commend him here."
In recent years, Roman has been incredibly open about his own battle with mental health, and by opening up about his issues, the talented presenter has helped thousands of young people across the UK and beyond as he continues to urge those suffering to speak out about their mental health struggles.
The Capital FM radio DJ, who was diagnosed with depression aged 15, says his mum Shirlie perfected the art of waiting for the right moment to bring up sensitive topics with her teenage son, using journeys between school, clubs or friends’ houses as a quiet moment to check in with him.
Roman says it's because of his beloved mum that he is able to be so open about his mental health struggles.
“Sitting face-to-face can feel awkward, so the trick that my mum used, from when I was really little, was to put me in the car,” Roman recently told The Mirror.
The talented son of the Pepsi & Shirlie singer and Spandau Ballet star Martin Kemp says his mum has always encouraged him to tackle health issues of body and mind head on - and it's left a lasting impression.
