Ever since Jacques O’Neill’s shock exit from Love Island, viewers have been speculating about the reason for his departure. At the time, the official party line from ITV was that Jacques left of his own accord, with the rugby player later explaining that he needed to ‘sort his head out’ as he wasn’t feeling himself in the villa.
Fans of the show rightly flocked to support him, understanding the grave mental health impact reality TV can have on contestants. But in the weeks since, rumours have begun to swirl that suggest he didn’t choose to leave the show at all, rather he was told to by producers.
The allegation comes from unverified screenshots of ‘leaked’ WhatsApp images that show a conversation between friends in which one person alleges that they know the supposed real reason for Jacques' exit. ‘I met someone who’s [sic] partner works on Love Island at this party last night,’ the message begins. ‘Jacques was removed from the villa. When he was told he was going he apparently threw an absolute fit an [sic] threatened to put them on blast to the papers and eventually they agreed they would give him that big grant exit.’
The person went on to allege that producers wanted to remove Jacques because he did an ableist impression of Tasha, who was born completely deaf and wears a cochlear implant in her right ear, which simulates the sensation of hearing inside the skull – she has had years of speech therapy.
During her time in the villa, Tasha was subject to vile ableist abuse from some viewers – particularly during times she became emotional after receiving the least number of public votes – with her father Tarek forced to make a statement.
‘Negativity is not what we do in this family so it is a bit of a shock but more so is the ablest comments like last night when someone described her as a “deaf w***e”’ he said. ‘Tash wanted to do [Love Island] to represent and show deaf kids, teens and adults that they have nothing to fear by embracing their deafness or hearing aids. It’s why hers is bright white.
‘It’s mentally draining for her trying to compute what’s been said, lip reading people whose lips aren’t facing her or whose mouths are covered with bottles [and] who said what when many are talking,’ Tarek explained. ‘Staying involved in conversation when you can only hear robotic sounds in only one of your ears is mentally draining. This leads to tiredness and sometimes tears. It’s a pressured environment for all but she has an extra pressure no one seems to recognise apart from anyone who is deaf or hard of hearing.’
Both Jacques and Luca Bish seemed to take issue with Tasha’s more emotional moments, accusing her of being ‘fake’. In fact, even after Jacques left the villa he posted a video on Instagram mimicking Davide’s famous line ‘You’re a liar, actress, get the fuck out’ while filming Tasha during her final speech to Andrew. His actions since leaving the villa, which include making fun of a number of Islanders on IG Lives, are why some are quick to believe rumours about his departure. Both Tasha and partner Andrew Le Page unfollowed Jacques and Luca after leaving the villa too (their teams had previously followed them while the show aired), confirming to many that there is no friendship there.
But Love Island bosses have firmly denied the allegations, telling The Mirror they are completely false. Jacques is yet to speak out about the rumours himself, but continues to highlight the importance of prioritising mental health. In any case, it’s important not to resort to bullying or trolling online.