Love Island’s Niall Aslam revealed he left the show due to struggling with Aspergers syndrome.
The 23-year-old revealed he has Asperger syndrome in an emotional statement on social media after he abruptly left the ITV show only a week after his first appearance.
According to the Autistic Society, there are around 700,000 autistic people in the UK – that’s more than 1 in 100.
Aspergers is a form of autism and often those diagnosed have above average intelligence but can often find sociable interactions or the building of new relationships difficult.
‘It’s not been an easy ride’.
In the statement, Niall said; “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”.
“When I was a young child I was diagnosed with asperges syndrome, a fact that until this post has 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 am looking forward to my next chapter.”
‘Niall has played an important role’.
Jane Harris, Director of External Affairs at the National Autistic Society, said: “We really hope that Love Island contestant Niall Aslam’s revelation that he is autistic will encourage fans of the show to find out more about autism.
“There are around 700,000 autistic people like Niall in the UK, but too many of their lives are limited by the public not understanding the challenges they face. By talking so openly about his diagnosis and the reasons he left Love Island, Niall has played an important role in bringing autism to the public’s attention.
“People can find out more about autism and the changes they can make to autistic lives by visiting our website: autism.org.uk.”
Since the announcement, there been an outpour of support for Niall on social media.