There are a few contenders for the most awkward moments of Love Island history. Malin Andersson returning to the villa to confront Terry Walsh, every single one of Amy Hart’s ‘chats’ with Curtis Pritchard and remember when Belle Hassan rejected Anton Danyluk’s proposal during the ‘snog marry pie’ challenge? Well last night, we got a brand new one: Liberty Poole telling the girls about Jake Cornish’s love confession.
After dramatically gathering the girls to fill them in on her chat with Jake, Liberty explained that she had ‘stood her ground’ with him as to whether or not his feelings for her genuine - or, as the other islanders fear, whether they are ‘for the cameras’.
‘You girls are going to be so proud of me, I went upstairs and said how I felt and didn’t take no shit,’ she began. ‘There was a lot of deflection going on at first, I was like “Just say to me how you feel” and he was like “You know what Lib, you make me feel ways I’ve never felt before, you make me nervous. I say this to the lads but I can’t say this to you” and then he goes “I do love you”’’
Cue a wall of absolute silence.
Honestly, it was hand-to-mouth let the ground swallow me up TV. Every single one of the girls faces was a picture of awkward horror, with each one only managing to offer up an ‘Oh’, ‘Wow’ or ‘Fuck me’.
Knowing how excited Liberty was to share this, and how much this reaction will be burned into her brain if she chooses to stay with Jake, it was particularly grim to watch. I mean, there’s just nothing like telling all your friends some huge romantic news only for them to stare back at you in disgust, right?
Of course, one reaction was particularly picked apart: Faye Winter’s decision to walk away from the conversation. After Chloe Burrows began to ask the questions everyone wanted (i.e. ‘Is he not just telling you want you want to hear?’) Faye tried to console Liberty before confessing ‘I’m really sorry, I can’t be a part of this conversation because I do not want to take away from you but I will lose my head babe. I love you so much, but I just can’t right now I’m really sorry.’
It was clear both Faye and Chloe felt strongly that Jake was being disingenuous, and knowing Faye’s temperament when it comes to untrustworthy men, she chose to remove herself before getting heated by his actions, and subsequently Liberty’s naivety.
Honestly, haven’t we all been there? When your friend is so love-blind by their new partner that you just want to shake them and scream they need to open their eyes, pained by just how easily they’re seemingly being taken advantage of? It’s particularly annoying when said friend appears to see sense in one moment, only to go back on it after one conversation with their new love – which unfortunately, did seem to happen with Liberty last night.
Not everyone thinks Faye was right to walk away though. Nor Chloe, who soon followed Faye noting that she didn’t want to ‘keep nit-picking’. Many have since accused them of attempting to have a ‘main character moment’ and make the situation about themselves.
But the thing is, with Faye in particular, walking away may’ve been the best thing she could do. When she has screaming rows in the villa, everyone chastises her for having a 0-100 temperament and tweet that she should ‘seek therapy’ and work on herself before entering a relationship or offering advice. Was her decision to walk away not proof she’s doing that?
We know the islanders have access to a therapist in the villa, and many suspect producers may’ve intervened after Faye’s last argument with Teddy Soares to help her understand right and wrong ways of communicating during an argument or intense moment.
‘What Faye is doing right now is EXACTLY what I tell people to do when learning boundaries,’ life coach Michelle Elman shared on Twitter. ‘If you think you are going to say something emotionally charged, communicate that you can’t stay in the conversation and then come back when you are ready. This is maturity.’
Faye later elaborated on her decision, explaining that she knew what she could offer Liberty in that moment wasn’t what she needed.
‘She wants to believe everything he tells her,’ Faye explained. ‘Jake was backed into a corner and he’s just thrown those three little words at her, and it’s so much easier to believe a lie off someone you love than believe the truth because it’ll hurt. We all know I’m tough love, and now isn’t the time for Lib to have tough love.’
And she was right. Liberty was clearly confused and hurting in that moment, blind sighted by her friends reaction to news she was incredibly happy about. She needed a friend like Kaz Kamwi, who delicately explained why they were reacting so and even apologised on their behalf for not having the energy she wanted, not someone who was going to get riled up and potentially say something hurtful about Liberty’s clouded judgement when it comes to Jake.
Yes, it might seem uncomfortable to watch a friend walk away from another when they clearly are in need. But not only did Liberty have a bunch of girls around her that are better suited to offer said empathetic advice, but it also takes genuine self-awareness to know when you can be the best friend possible and when you’re only going to take away from a situation, or even escalate it.
Not every friend is going to fulfil each emotional need you have, and you shouldn’t expect them to either.
If there’s one thing getting older teaches you about friendship, it’s that not everyone is going to fulfil every need you have, and you shouldn’t expect them to either. Sometimes we have friends we go to for healthy relationship advice, others to simply vent about how much of an arsehole our partner is. We have friends that are great for having fun with, but not necessarily your emotional sounding board, friends we have intellectual conversations with, but won’t always be on every night out. It’s about finding balance in your friendships so each one adds value to your life in a way that best serves you both, instead of expecting one person to meet your every need and want. These are the friendships that don’t have endless expectations or conflicts, the easy ones that allow you to enjoy each other without needing each other – and they’re the healthiest kind.
Faye having her own issues with anger and trust means she may not always be able to offer advice you need in that moment to feel better, just like many of us whose personal baggage prevent us from being the friend we may want to be in particular moments of life. She might work through that in her own time, but even if she didn’t, it wouldn’t make her any less of a great friend to Liberty if she’s the one that fights her battles (as she did last night) while her other friends gently console her in times of crisis.
Great friendships take both parties being aware of each other’s strengths and flaws, and thus not expecting others to bend their own to fit your needs. Liberty certainly didn’t, only showing gratitude for Faye and Chloe when they later sat down with Jake to confront their issue with him. So if she didn’t have a problem with it, how can anyone else?
It might not be what you would’ve done in that situation, but that doesn’t mean you can’t understand another person’s reaction. Particularly, when they’re trying to grow past their own issues. As Michelle said, Faye might learn how to react without intensity in conversations like that in future, but right now as she’s clearly attempting to understand herself and healthy communication, walking away was likely the most mature thing to do.
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