Love Island’s Niall Aslam looks unrecognisable with long curly hair and beard five years after quitting villa | The Sun
LOVE Island star Niall Aslam looks unrecognisable to his time in the villa, with long hair and a beard.
The 27-year-old star appeared in the 2018 series of the ITV2 reality hit, which was ultimately won by Dani Dyer and Jack Fincham.
He abruptly quit the programme just over a week after its launch, later revealing he'd been hospitalised due to stress-induced psychosis – which saw him suffer from hallucinations.
The former reality star looked miles different to his time in the ITV2 dating show.
He showed off his longer curly tresses with blonde highlights at the bottom and his noticeably thicker facial hair.
Niall opened up about his "struggle" with autism and said he often felt "ashamed" about the condition.
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He wrote: "Haven’t posted whilst it’s been autism awareness/ acceptance month but I know most people that follow me on here are aware of my diagnosis.
"Truth is sometimes I find it hard talking about my experiences being autistic online in such a positive light all the time.
"Being autistic has been a struggle my whole life Leading me to be on antidepressants at 10, school was awful and confusing and there was little help or understanding, getting older I often felt ashamed about it."
The star also spoke about his time in a psychiatric hospital – which he described as the "worst experience" of his life.
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Niall continued: "I took the huge plunge and put myself out there on a national scale whilst making the people I needed to know about my autism and adjustments.
" I’d need only to be ignored and left hospitalised in psychiatric care with psychosis in what could only be described as the worst experience of my life which was subsequently covered up.
"I’ve got past a lot of difficulties and gone on to do a lot of things I’m proud of but like a lot of people with autism I wouldn’t change anything but I get tired of constantly masking and trying to make out everything’s great for other people, also I think I look like a cool lion here thanks 🦁💙 #autismawareness"
He was flooded with kind comments praising him for opening up.
One wrote: "You’re an inspiration bro. Keep doing your thing 💪🏻."
Another posted: "You have done so well and overcome lots! And you for sure look like a cool lion here! Hope your enjoying the sun!"
A third said: "You are an inspiration Niall and I am so so proud of you 🙌."
Niall has Asperger's syndrome, which show bosses were aware of at the time, and has been opening up about his Love Island experience in a new TikTok video.
He explained how his autism spectrum disorder (ASD) means that he has certain "coping mechanisms", such as talking to himself and isolating, which he was unable to use.
He previously told viewers: "As I got there and I started to get more and more stressed about what was going on around me I started to use my coping mechanisms.
"As someone with ASD, I don't know if someone else with it might have the same, but I talk to myself a lot and I started to segregate myself from the group.
"I'd go to the balcony a lot and try to escape the environment, but I just couldn't get away. Obviously this isn't entertaining and people want to have scenes going on that are entertaining.
"People would be trying to come up to me and have fake conversations and stuff, you know the ones: 'Yo bro, who do you like now? Is that your type?' and I'm more of: 'What's your favourite kind of bear?'"
The shock claims come just days after Niall blamed the "set-up" scenes for triggering his Love Island exit – and claimed that producers dictated who he could and couldn't show a romantic interest in.
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A rep for Love Island told The Sun: "All Islanders are free to make their own decisions regarding who they couple up with and the public vote or format decides who leaves the island, not producers."
Niall previously said of his exit from the show: "I came out and talked about my Asperger’s and I was diagnosed at 10 years old, that was basically the reason I left Love Island.
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