LOVE Island star Jacques O’Neil is being praised by fans after revealing he has become a carer.
The Welsh rugby lad, 26, who entered the villa three years ago, announced his new role as a carergiver, admitting that it “saved him”.
Jacques revealed he is a caregive for a lad called Denum and said they’d formed a brotherly bond.
He said: “Everything only started to change when this boy came in to my life, Denum, now my best friend and little brother who I love so much.”
After meeting Denum he decided to take on more clients with disabilities.
Over another picture, Jacques added: “I started caring for these lads 4x a week, they gave me a reason to show up again. They saved me.”
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The reality star received an overwhelming outpouring of support from fans letting him know how proud they were of him.
One shared: “Jacques you are a true inspiration to so many” as another penned: “Class act mate love this. Good on you brother proud of you man.”
Jacques also showed fans his journey from boozing and piling on weight after finding fame on Love Island, saying he hit ‘rock bottom’.
He wrote over more photos: “I’m Jacques 26 and I’m starting my life again. This is the part of my story you never saw.
“Since I was a kid, rugby was all I ever knew. It was all I ever wanted to do. I didn’t care about much more other than rugby. Discipline. Hard work. Respect. That was my whole identity as a man.
“As my career just started to get going…Injuries started, one after another, knee, hamstring, back, I felt like I couldn’t catch a break and each one took a piece of me that | didn’t realise at the time.
“When Love Island called, I said ‘yes’… but for all the wrong reasons I wasn’t ready for it, mentally, emotionally, Maturity, I was just a lost boy who was so angry at the world.”
He continued: “But instead of working on myself, I got caught up in everything what came after the show, what I also wasn’t ready for, on Instagram it looked like I was living the dream, the car, the apartment.
“The travelling… hanging out with people who I thought I’d never even be in the same room as, working with brands that I wore since a kid it was all a bit crazy.
“In reality, I felt more lost and empty than ever, this wasn’t the real me, I actually ended up hating myself so much I had to drink to get myself through week by week but that came with consequences.”
Jacques shared a photo looking heavier, and another of himself drinking, he revealed how he previously struggled with his self-image.
He wrote: “Rock bottom was looking in the mirror and not knowing who I was anymore. How had I gone from professional athlete to this.
“To someone who couldn’t even take himself serious anymore, I was embarrassed of myself. I knew I needed to change, I couldn’t carry on living my life like this anymore.”
Jacques is now rebuilding his life, and wrote: “From starting to care for them lads, I rebuilt my body, my mind, and my standards. I’m now a man that will never lose himself again. I’m resilient.
“This is who I am now. If you are rebuilding yourself too, this next chapter is for you.”
Jacques rose to fame when he appeared on Love Island in 2022 and struggled with the breakdown of his relationship with Paige on the show.
He made the decision to quit the show and later admitted he struggled to “be myself” inside the villa with his mental health and ADHD.
He told The Sun he wanted to “work on himself” after being branded a “bully” and a “gaslighter” by some viewers.
That same year Jacques revealed he was in a “better place mentally” after sharing a male suicide warning on social media.
Once out of the villa Jacques signed with The Social PR, with managing director Scott Thomas, who is a fellow Love Island alum, mentoring him.
Jacques was bombarded with lucrative offers from big sports broadcasters and fashion brands.
A source told The Sun at the time: “Jacques is on track to make a fortune after being bombarded with offers since leaving the villa.”
“All of this could add up to him becoming a millionaire in the near future, but Jacques is most passionate about becoming an ambassador of ADHD and Mental Health,” they added.