Love Island star Jacques O'Neill has spoken about his former partner Paige Thorne moving on with Adam Collard following his dramatic exit from the villa.
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The ex-Islander, who walked out of the villa in a shock moment last week, appeared on Sunday evening's episode of Love Island: Aftersun when he was asked by host Laura Whitmore how it felt watching Paige's romance with Adam blossom.
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Jacques began by admitting that he hadn't been watching the show since he departed, but added that he understood that Paige had to do "what she has to do".
"I said, 'Crack on like I did in Casa'. She needs to explore like I did. We were really getting on, you know, I did see things working on the outside between us but as I say, she's doing what she needs to do."
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© Photo: ITVPaige and Jacques fell out after Casa Amor
Jacques walked out of the villa after bombshell arrival, Adam Collard, joined the show and began to show an interest in Paige, prompting the 23-year-old to voice his frustration. After a tearful exchange in the following episode, he told Paige he wasn't able to "be himself" while taking part in the show, and told her he would be leaving.
Since Jacques' exit, producers on the reality programme have since spoken out and insisted that, contrary to what some fans were saying online, the Islander decided to walk out of his own accord.
Mike Spencer previously said in an interview with Deadline: "Jacques is amazing. We love Jacques. When you date, your emotions are naturally up and down. Finding love is not a simple thing, that's why the show is so relatable.
© Photo: ITVPaige has since moved on with bombshell Adam
"Jacques was on his own journey and he had a strong connection with Paige but sometimes you have to think about yourself and that's what Jacques did. We respected his decision to head home but I think he's excited to be on Aftersun on Sunday to discuss his journey."
The piece then stated Mike made it clear to the reporter that Jacques' decision was off his own back, rather than being pressured by the show's crew.
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