Love Island stars Jay Younger and Paige Thorne have admitted to having secret crushes on each other.
During his time in the villa, the 28-year-old unfortunately ended up in four ill-fated couples with Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu, Paige, Danica Taylor and Chyna Mills.
After failing to find love, Jay was dumped from the villa in the sixth week.
Although he appeared to quickly set his sights on Ekin-Su, Jay has revealed he actually wanted to get to know Paige.
Speaking on The Rugby Pod, the Scotsman claimed that producers forced him into a love triangle with Ekin-Su and her beau Davide Sanclimenti.
He alleged that he had been told to choose to couple up with the Turkish actress over Paige when he entered as a bombshell.
The 28-year-old told host Jim Hamilton: “It’s not as organic as you think. For example, I was told not to pick Paige. I was with a girl called Ekin, who went on to win the show.”
“I wasn’t allowed to pick who I genuinely wanted to go for at the start, which was Paige,” he continued.
Jim questioned how Love Island contestants are supposed to find love if they can’t choose to couple up with the person they fancy, to which Jay responded: “I was told by the producers it was too predictable if I went with Paige at the start. I trusted the process.”
“The experience was good and I’m so grateful for it, but I didn’t expect it to be that produced.”
The news comes just days after Paige owned up to having a crush on Jay.
During her appearance on the Saving Grace podcast, host Grace Teeling asked Paige: “Was there anyone in [the villa] that you wanted to speak to, but weren’t allowed to speak to?”
The Welsh paramedic responded: “Yeah, there was. Do you know, Jay came in and he was my type to a tee and then, I wasn’t allowed speak to him for like a week. We just kept apart.”
Paige told Grace that she and Jay weren’t allowed to speak around the time that Jay had been getting to know Ekin-Su, and she had been getting to know Jacques O’Neill.
@savinggracepod Really?!!! #fyp #foryoupage #podcast #savinggrace #paigethorne #cheating #storm #loveislove #comdey #GKBarry ♬ original sound – Saving Grace
“You know how some shows come with that warning before it comes on ‘This show has been enhanced purely for entertainment’ – it should probably come with that warning I’ll be honest.
The Welsh paramedic is newly single after splitting from her beau Adam Collard last month.
Their relationship hit the rocks after a video of the Newcastle native cosying up to a mystery blonde in McDonald’s went viral.
During her podcast appearance, Paige admitted that she’s back in contact with her former flame Jacques.
She told host Grace: “There has been slight contact. No contact with the lips. Let’s not forget how this boy done me in Casa [Amor].”
“Obviously we had a vibe in there. But he done me over. Dickhead. Fine. But we’re just going to see where things go. I am in zero rush to be with a man because men are trash.”
