Love Island star Niall Aslam has broken his silence following his mysterious departure from the villa. Taking to his Instagram page on Thursday, the 23-year-old shared a lengthy post in which he detailed his diagnosis with Asperger's Syndrome. "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," the self-confessed Harry Potter fan shared. "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."
© Photo: ITVNiall Aslam has broken his silence following his surprise departure from Love Island
Niall, who hails from Coventry, revealed his struggle about growing up in silence. "When I was a young child I was diagnosed with asperges syndrome, a fact that until this post has never shared outside of my close family," he added. "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."
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The student hopes that his revelation will help people to come forward and open up about their personal issues. "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," he continued. "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."
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© Photo: ITVThe TV star thanked fans for their support
Niall then concluded his post by thanking the ITV team for their support and acknowledged his new fan base. "I would just like to thank the team at ITV for always backing me and giving me the opportunity to rid myself of my insecurities and embrace the fact that I am different yet I am still a rainbow fish," he said. "I can't explain how grateful I am for the support from the whole team over this period." The TV star added: "I would also like to thank the British public for the love you have all shown me over the past few weeks, it has been overwhelming. 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!"
Jane Harris, Director of External Affairs at the National Autistic Society, has since told HELLO!: "We really hope that Love Island contestant Niall Aslam's revelation that he is autistic will encourage fans of the show to find out more about autism. There are around 700,000 autistic people like Niall in the UK, but too many of their lives are limited by the public not understanding the challenges they face." She added: "By talking so openly about his diagnosis and the reasons he left Love Island, Niall has played an important role in bringing autism to the public's attention. People can find out more about autism and the changes they can make to autistic lives by visiting our website: autism.org.uk. The National Autistic Society wishes this 'Rainbow Fish' lots of success on his journey."
