Love Island’s Niall Aslam has revealed he’s working on his debut book after walking off the show.
The 23-year-old student and construction worker quit the ITV2 dating show due to “personal reasons” just nine days after arriving in the villa.
He later revealed his Asperger syndrome had led to his departure.
Now, it seems the Coventry-based reality star wants to use his own experience with Asperger’s to help others in a similar situation, and has been writing a book about what he’s been through in life.
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Niall told The Sun: “I want to put out a positive message and if I can help one person who has been in the same position as me then that’s great. I hope that people can embrace themselves more, and once you’ve embraced yourself you can cope better.”
He said the book is being written “off his own back” and putting pen to paper has been a good experience for him.
The former islander had been a fan favourite on this year’s Love Island; he started off coupled up with Kendall Rae Knight before Adam Collard stole her away in a twist.
He was coupled up with Georgia Steel before his departure.
The islanders were told Niall had left the villa due to “personal reasons” with no further information given on-screen or by Love Island producers.
It was Niall himself who finally revealed the reason for his exit last week, writing a lengthy post on Instagram about being diagnosed with Asperger’s as a child.
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 made his first public appearance since quitting earlier this week, joining fellow islander Rosie Williams at Warner Bros Studio Tour London – appropriate given Niall’s well-documented love for Harry Potter!
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