Love Island's Jake Cornish reveals heartbreaking reason behind All Stars exit

Jake Cornish has revealed the true reason he walked out of Love Island: All Stars.

The reality star and fitness guru first appeared on the ITV dating programme back in series seven, which aired in 2021. During his original stint on the show, the water engineer from from Weston-super-Mare found himself coupled up with Liberty Poole, before he ultimately decided to walk away on Day 54 following their final date before they called time on their split, despite Liberty saying: "I love you" to Jake.

Following his departure, Jake was ill when the reunion episode was filmed, meaning he never came face to face with his ex-girlfriend again. But just three years later, the pair once again stumbled across one another after jetting to Franschhoek, South Africa, to film All Stars.

Singletons from previous years including winners Tom Smith and Molly Smith, Mitchel Taylor, Georgia Harrison, Casey O'Gorman and Chris Taylor entered the show alongside Jake and Liberty. But while things appeared to be going well for Jake, who was coupled up with his ex, he made the decision to walk out on Day 3. At the time, in an ITV statement, he said he realised the wasn't right for him to look for love.

In an exclusive interview with the Mirror, Jake reflected on his time on reality telly and explained his true reason behind walking away. Speaking days before the new series kicks off, he revealed that his time on the show took its toll on those around him. "I've always been very thick-skinned," he said, before adding: "I think more than anything, it probably affected my parents or my friends.

"They were seeing comments that were made. But for me personally, I've seen other people struggle and it's not nice, especially if you come off TV, they've struggled, I've always been a shoulder to cry on for them because I've been in a similar situation." Jake explained that while some people may read a comment online and take it to heart but some may let it go.

"Luckily for me, I've always been thick skinned, took it on the chin and just got on with it." But while some reality TV stars have previously criticised ITV and production companies for the alleged lack of support after appearing on a show, Jake stressed that this was not the case for him, personally.

"I think you do get a bit of help when you leave the show, you do get help, I can't fault them for that," he said before explaining that those participating in shows "know what you're signing up for." Shedding light on his All Stars exit last year, the charity ambassador commented: "The second time around when I done All Stars, when I left, I kind of forgot about how the shows are filmed, it was a bit different from the first time.

"The first time you're a rookie, you don't know what to expect but the second time, I understood a lot more and I think I just grew out of it. Putting on a show for the cameras, it's either you or it isn't." But since leaving the show, Jake has devoted his time to helping charities and raising awareness of causes close to his heart.

This, however, can be tinged with backlash as some people claim he's "doing it for attention." "If your'e working, if you're doing something good, they just say 'you didn't do that, someone else done it', there's always someone to put a negative on something," he said. Nowadays, Jake helps support dog charities due to his beautiful relationship with his beloved labrador, Lennie. "Seeing him makes my day," he gushed during our chat.

"Other dogs don't get that, or people who are in control of dogs, for whatever reason have to give dogs back to shelters," he said, before explaining that he was attempting to raise money via competitions for dog shelters. "I'm really trying to give something back to people, that's just me as a person whether I've been on TV or not," he said, explaining that he uses his own free time to "help other people."

Although many people from Love Island chase more reality work, Jake admits his dream job would be to film a show working with dogs. "I've got such a good relationship with dogs, I understand them, it sounds a bit crazy but I'm like a dog whisperer," he laughed. But when Jake isn't raising money for dog shelters or walking his beloved Lennie, he's set up an online group for his followers, offering them a space to talk when they need support.

"I wanted to build a safe space for everyone to communicate with each other, any one who follows me and just wants to have a chat about what they're up to, what they're doing for training or just a general day-to-day group chat, it's quite nice," he commented.

Love Island All Stars starts 13th January and airs Sundays to Fridays at 9pm on ITV2 and ITVX.

Follow Mirror Celebs onTikTok,Snapchat,Instagram,Twitter,Facebook,YouTubeandThreads.