Jake Cornish has revealed he didn’t snub the Love Island reunion, but he missed the show because he was bed stricken with suspected coronavirus.
The former Islander, 24, told MailOnline he felt like he’d be ‘hit by a truck’ after suffering from symptoms, including exhaustion and a fever, and he’s disappointed to be the only contestant to miss out on the get-together earlier this month, as well as the National Television Awards last week.
In an exclusive interview, Jake revealed there’s no chance of him and Liberty Poole, 22, rekindling their romance and the last time they spoke was when they filmed a prerecorded segment for the ITV2 catch-up show.
‘It’s a shame I couldn’t go’: Jake Cornish has revealed he didn’t snub the Love Island reunion, but he missed the show because he was bed stricken with suspected coronavirus
Jake told MailOnline: ‘It would have been nice to see everyone and be together again. It’s a shame I couldn’t go but when you’re ill you don’t want to do anything. I bought a nice suit and everything for it.
‘Friday evening, I was in bed, Saturday I felt like a truck had hit me and it got worse. I have been tested for Covid and all my tests have come back negative. I may have been fighting Covid without knowing I had it.’
The former water engineer left Love Island a week before the final with ex-girlfriend Liberty but remains certain their relationship is done for good.
He said: ‘There’s no bad blood between us, we are civil and there’s no need for us not to be on good terms. There’s nothing there we’re done now. We haven’t spoken.
‘We’re just friends’: Jake revealed there’s no chance of him and Liberty Poole getting back together and the last time they spoke was when they filmed their segment for the ITV2 show
‘The line has been drawn and we’re just friends. I’ll always be there for her and it is what it is I suppose.
‘These things happen, it’s life at the end of the day it’s a breakup. But in Love Island you have a breakup and the whole of the country sees it because we were on a TV show.’
Jake and Liberty made Love Island history by quitting the series days before the final despite being frontrunners to win the £50,000 cash prize.
The reality star says he has no ‘regrets’ after ruling himself out the competition because him and Liberty were ‘unhappy’ and it would have been ‘pointless’ them staying.
He said: ‘When your time is up, it’s up. I was glad with the way Liberty and me left. I don’t regret anything.
‘Shame’: Jake was the only Islander to miss out on the Love Island reunion, as well as the National Television Awards, where Liberty stunned in a red gown, due to feeling poorly
‘When your time is up, it’s up’: Jake says he has no ‘regrets’ after quitting Love Island because him and Liberty were ‘unhappy’ and it would have been ‘pointless’ them staying in the villa
‘I started my journey with her and I ended it with her. It would have been pointless for me to stay in there.
‘Look at everyone now; they’re all in relationships. I would have got in the way of their last few days. It was time for us to step aside and let the others continue with their journey.
‘It would have been good to reach the final but you have to put yourself first. Obviously, at the time we weren’t happy and that’s why we left.
‘Everyone wants to be in the final, but when reality hits you’re not going to try and make the final just for the sake of it.’
‘It backfired’: Jake admits he took inspiration from Kem Cetinay who asked Amber Davies to be his girlfriend by giving her a commitment bracelet
Viewers accused Jake of copying the way Kem Cetinay, 25, asked Amber Davies, 24, to be his girlfriend by using a bracelet to make his relationship official with Liberty.
Jake admits he took inspiration from the 2017 winner, and he’s frustrated the sentimental gesture backfired.
He said: ‘I wanted something to take in there, which was sentimental, and I saw Kem and I thought fair play to him that’s a nice touch.
‘I thought there’s no harm in doing the same thing. It wasn’t on my mind to copy Kem, but I thought it was a nice gesture. But obviously it backfired a bit.’