Love Island's Niall Aslam speaks out about feeling rejected

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Niall Aslam has opened up about what it was like growing up with Asperger's and how he felt "rejected" because of it.

The former Love Island star famously quit the villa in 2018 after less than two weeks due to "personal reasons", in which he revealed that the experience had been "overwhelming."

The 24-year-old issued a lengthy statement at the time in which he divulged that he had Asperger's before 'disappearing' from the public eye for several days, causing fans to be concerned about his wellbeing.

Fortunately Niall was okay and nearly two years after that experience, he has opened up to The Big Lunch podcast with hosts Elis James and Lucy Beresford, to talk about his mental health and Autism.

Speaking about growing up with Asperger's, Niall said: "I got rejected a load and I kind of got to the realisation at some point in my teens that no one cares about you getting rejected as much as yourself"

He revealed on the podcast how rejection grew his confidence as he admitted" "Growing up my social skills were actually awful".

Niall was diagnosed with Aperger's at 10-years-old, and he discusses how he struggled to keep eye contact in conversations and how he became obsessed with talking about certain things.

He recalls: "At one point it was reptiles, it was the only thing I think 'if you are not talking to me about Iguanas I do not want to hear what you've got to say.'"

Niall also spoke about his Love Island experience and how he entered the villa determined to make the most of the opportunity.

He said: "My mindset throughout was, you know, just be yourself, be funny, don't take yourself too seriously 'cos that's what I am.

"I have come to [the] conclusion I don't mind if people laugh at me".

This is something that host Lucy Beresford, who is a psychologist and TEDx speaker, believes is important.

Speaking about being comfortable with yourself, she commented: "Self-love is a really important thing because obviously if you love yourself you'll grow in confidence whether that's body confidence or just you know in terms of your personality."

Explaining how he has felt anxious in the past, Niall said that he has felt those emotions and a lack of confidence.

He said: "I feel like people are too caught up in looking at other people and being like 'why can’t I be that confident'.

"This is one thing I think people also have to understand is that there's nothing wrong with being shy some people have different people have different personalities".

When Niall left the villa during the summer of 2018, he broke his silence with an Instagram post in which he is seen lying down on grass with his head next to a tortoise.

In the statement he wrote with it, he revealed his Asperger's diagnosis to fans of the ITV2 dating show.

He wrote at the time: "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 Asperger's syndrome, a fact that until this post, has never been 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.

"I would just like to thank the team at ITV for always backing me and giving me the opportunity to rid my 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.

"I would also like to thank the British public for the love you have all shown me over the past few weeks, it has been overwhelming.

"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!

Never heard of this guy or the show

It is a British dating reality TV show. There is an American version on CBS