Love Island’s Niall Aslam has broken his silence on why he quit the show less than two weeks after arriving.
The 23-year-old walked away from the villa on day nine for “personal reasons” with no other information being given at the time.
Now, he’s returned to social media with a lengthy post explaining the reasons behind his departure, shared alongside a new photo of himself lying in the sunshine.
Niall told fans he was diagnosed with Asberger syndrome as a child and has never spoken about it until now, as he was concerned about “labels or stigma”.
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He wrote: “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.
“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.”
Niall wrote: “When I was a young child I was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, a fact that until this post was never shared outside of my close family.
“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.
“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.
“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 I am looking forward to my next chapter.”
Niall went on to thank ITV and Love Island for their support and help.
He said: “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.
“I can’t explain how grateful I am for the support from the whole team over this period.”
Niall also thanked the British public for “the love” he’s been shown over the last few weeks, describing the support and well wishes as “overwhelming”.
He concluded: “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!”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BkkJKUXnwUR/?taken-by=niallaslam
Niall included several hashtags including “Autism Awareness” and “Be Your Own Kind of Rainbow Fish”.
He had been one of this year’s original islanders and was initially coupled up with Kendall Rae Knight before Adam Collard arrived and stole her away in a shock twist.
Niall then coupled up with Georgia Steel, before he quit the show.
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