Amy Hart’s Love Island Experience Is Forcing All Of Us To Relive Our First Heartbreaks – And It’s Actually Really Triggering

‘If we can't take a meaningful friendship from this, what was the point in the first few weeks?’ Amy Hart asked Curtis Pritchard during last night’s episode of Love Island, ‘The only way that we’re going to be really good mates is if I go now and we both have space from each other, and then we can be amazing mates when we get out.’

Her speech, which has since been applauded by Love Island viewers online, was not only a shining example of how to leave a toxic situation with dignity, but also a painful reminder of all our first heartbreaks. Because, while many have belittled Amy’srelationshipwith Curtis, it’s clear to see that she has just experienced the all-consuming loss that is your first love, in front of over 4 million people.

In fact, her experience has resonated so much with viewers that many of them have taken to Twitter to share their own first heartbreak stories – with many noting that Amy has demonstrated much more self-respect that we all did during those fateful moments.

‘My first heartbreak, my ex wasn’t replying to my texts so I broke into his house one night, got in his bed and fell asleep waiting for him to come home,’ one Twitter user, @louhennessyx shared to near 2,000 likes, ‘When he came back and saw me I think he was so exhausted from our shenanigans he just got in bed next to me and went to sleep.’

‘When I had my first heartbreak I was literally doing the most crying the lot couldn’t even eat for a solid 2 weeks,’ @Lauraa_Kinsella added, with over 15,000 likes, ‘poor Amy, I don’t get why everyone’s slagging her your first heartbreak is deffo the worst.’

With an influx of heartbreak stories being shared, there is one clear consensus, Amy’s experience on Love Island is actually the most genuine we have seen so far. And, for most of us, it’s been very triggering. Her parting words to Curtis alone, while endearing, took us all back to that overwhelming hope you have that while losing someone romantically you can maintain some sort of relationship with them.

Her emphasis on them being friends, as the crux of her leaving the show, was so painful because it is so realistic to what you feel post break-up, holding on to any hope that this person won’t be completely lost from your life. Most of us of course know that actually, you’re unlikely to remain friends with someone you were once in love with. But alas, we’ve all made that mistake of believing we could – with some of us (read: me) holding on to hope far too tightly and dragging out the moving on process much longer than necessary by trying to be friends far too soon.

She too provided another painful example of those rookie mistakes in dealing with heartbreak when she kept attempting to find closure with Curtis. Telling her friends in the villa that she would approach him for one final conversation, after already sitting down twice to discuss their issues, it was only when Anna Vakili and Amber Gill screamed ‘no!’ at her about 82 times – throwing pillows at her to really get the message across – that she concluded it might not be a great idea.

Again, we’ve all been there. Using the guise of ‘getting closure’ as an excuse to keep in touch, to keep rehashing the same conversation that while we know leads to the same outcome, gives us hope that this time, it might not. It’s that blind delusion you feel that, even though you know logically you’re not compatible, such intense love for someone provides endless hope.

It’s hard to watch, and not just because many of us relate to Amy, but also because none of us would dream to experience this on national television. Can you only imagine if the world got to witness your first reaction to heartbreak? The extreme emotions you feel, the lengths you go to to keep contact, the drama that comes with everyday mundane activities. Honestly, I couldn’t even recognise who I was dealing with that first trauma, never mind have millions of people judging me based on that behaviour.

And so ultimately, Amy leaving Love Island feels more necessary than ever. Because, it wouldn’t be fair to anyone to be under the spotlight when dealing with that pain so blindly. It wouldn’t be entertaining to watch what could become of her, and actually, this move seems like the exact duty of care Love Island promises to give Islanders. And now, we can rest knowing that Amy is dealing with the rest of that pain in private, because if our first heartbreaks are anything to go by, she’s got a long road ahead of her.

Click through to see the best Twitter reactions to Love Island 2019...