Greg O’Shea has announced his retirement from rugby.
The Limerick native, who shot to fame when he won Love Island with Amber Gill in 2019, recently represented Ireland in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics playing with the Rugby Sevens.
Announcing his retirement on Instagram, the rugby union player wrote: “My life has always been focused around my rugby career, so it has been a really difficult decision for me to decide to retire from the game I love.”
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“It just feels like the right time for me to close that chapter of my life, especially after reaching my goal of becoming an Olympian and with everything else I want to do outside of rugby,” he explained.
To thank his fans for their support, Greg revealed he would be giving away his Olympic gear and his World Series jersey.
The 26-year-old added: “Thanks again for supporting my journey so far, and I’m looking forward to sharing the next chapter of my life with you💚✌🏽”
Opening up about his decision to retire in a YouTube video, Greg said: “Don’t get me wrong, I would absolutely love to keep playing professional rugby, but in the Sevens style of the game we’re just not paid enough for it to be a viable long term career.”
“I just had to be realistic and realise that there’s other pathways in life and for me to build a career for myself outside of rugby… Every good thing comes to an end and I achieved what I wanted to achieve in it.”
Greg revealed he hopes to get back into broadcasting and presenting, following his stint on RTÉ 2FM.
