Niall Aslam's co-stars praise him for breaking silence over Love Island exit

'You’re the most rainbow Rainbow Fish out there my brother. So proud of you.'

Following his sudden departure from this year’s Love Island, 23-year-old Niall Aslam broke his silence with an emotional message explaining he was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome as a child.

An autism spectrum disorder that can make it harder for those affected to interact with others in a social environment, many people have praised the construction worker for speaking so openly about the condition.

And now, Aslam’s co-stars have also expressed their support with former Islander, Eyal Booker, the first to comment.

Underneath Aslam’s candid Instagram post, Booker wrote: “You’re the most rainbow Rainbow Fish out there my brother. So proud of you.

“You were seriously missed in the villa but one thing is for sure, you always stayed true to yourself. Big love you wonderful human, excited to see you!”

Shortly after, more of the Love Island contestants followed suit with Kendall Rae Knight – who was originally coupled up with Aslam at the beginning of the series – writing: “You should be so proud of yourself, huge respect for you Niall and honoured to have spent the time in the villa with someone like you, you’ve done amazing! Hope to see you soon xxx."

Hayley Hughes also said: “We missed you so much in the villa! It wasn’t the same without you, hope to see you very soon!”

And Rosie Williams – who left the villa last week – added: “Love you loads! Haven’t stopped thinking of you!! Hope to see you soon!! We missed you more than you know!! xxxxxx”.

A condition that affects someone’s social skills, the National Autistic Society hopes that Aslam’s announcement will inspire more people to learn about autism.

“We really hope that Love Island contestant Niall Aslam’s revelation that he is autistic will encourage fans of the show to find out more about autism,” Jane Harris, director of external affairs at the National Autistic Society, tells The Independent.

“There are around 700,000 autistic people like Niall in the UK, but too many of their lives are limited by the public not understanding the challenges they face.

“By talking so openly about his diagnosis and the reasons he left Love Island, Niall has played an important role in bringing autism to the public's attention. People can find out more about autism and the changes they can make to autistic lives by visiting our website: autism.org.uk.

“The National Autistic Society wishes this ‘Rainbow Fish’ lots of success on his journey.”