Paige Thorne and Adam Collard have spoken out after their exits from Love Island 2022.
The couple were dumped in last night’s show just a day before the final following a public vote.
Paige says she’s not disappointed to leave, explaining: “I went in there wanting to find friendships and a great connection and I came out with both.”
Reflecting on her time with Jacques before he left the villa, she shared: “Honestly, I had a feeling that he was going to leave. It was really hard hearing him say it out loud, but I knew there was nothing I could say to make him want to change his mind.
“I knew that wouldn’t be right. I fully supported his decision, absolutely I could never have sat there and asked him to stay.”
Paige continued: “It did cross my mind a little bit to leave with him, but things hadn’t been 100% all the way through, and the fact that they weren’t was what made me think.
“The fact that I stayed and I gave 100% to the experience and found something new and something more suited towards me just goes to show that everything happens for a reason.”
Meanwhile Adam said of Jacques’ decision to leave: “I knew he liked Paige, I liked her as well – it could have been anyone and it would have been the same situation. But I just wanted to make sure he was OK first and that he was doing it for the right reasons and not doing it just because it was me.
“Don’t get me wrong, I knew I wanted to be with the girl he was with. At the same time, we gave each other a hug before he left. I went up and shook his hand. We both know the score, we both know what we signed up for and I wouldn’t even be surprised if we ended up being mates on the outside to be honest.”
Adam went on to speak about his return to the villa, having previously appeared in the show’s fourth season.
He admitted: “It was nerve wracking this time because I kind of had my presumptions about people because I got to watch it on the screen before I went in. I’m a bombshell and people can be intimidated and someone is probably going to get split up.
“But saying that, as soon as it got a couple of hours in the boys were class and really welcoming and it was just exciting. I was buzzing to go in. And I knew this time going in, because I have grown up a little bit, that it would be a little bit different if I found someone right and obviously I did.”
As for the future for him and Paige, Adam gushed: “There’s probably only one or two people that I’ve ever been like this with in the past and been this smitten. She’s just amazing. I never expected to come in and be like that. I knew that I had this side of my personality, it just takes me longer than other people to get there.
“I never thought I’d cry in the Beach Hut. I can sometimes be too stubborn to do stuff like that. It was happy thoughts and because everything was going well and seeing my dad and hearing he was proud of me. Paige is unreal, she doesn’t step a foot wrong. She is the real deal.
“I don’t know what the moving situation is – I think I need to pitch her Newcastle very, very well. I’m really excited to go and see her family. I’m just excited to go and do all the fun things with her. I want to go on dates.
“It’s weird, I feel like we’re dating but we’re so far past that. We have really got something good here. I just want to run with it to be honest. I see her in my future and I think she feels the same. We’re going to make it work.”
Paige added: “Definitely we’re going strong. We have done since day one. We’ve already made plans. He’s coming to see me in Swansea and I’m going to Newcastle. We’re already talking about holidays and Christmas plans. I definitely see a future.”
Love Island 2022 continues nightly on ITV2 and ITV Hub.
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