Nicole Jacky has officially exited the villa. Following her split from fellow Love Island star Kendall Washington—just one day after their season’s reunion episode aired—the 26-year-old opened up about the breakup.
“On August 18th, Kendall and I agreed that our relationship was worth working on,” Nicole shared in an August 20 Instagram Story.
“We were making plans for me to visit him in Dallas soon. However, today, August 20th, he called and ended things.”
Nicole confessed that Kendall’s decision caught her off guard. “While I understand and respect his choice, it’s hard to process,” she continued.
“I opened up to him in the villa, and I still love him for now. I’m struggling mentally, and all I ask for is privacy during this time.”
Kendall also released a statement on social media regarding the breakup.
“I have decided to end things with Nicole,” he wrote in an August 20 Instagram Story. “It reached a point where it was not healthy for us to continue a relationship. I still love and care for Nicole. I’ve never developed such strong feelings for a woman in my life.”
The 28-year-old emphasized that there are no hard feelings on his part. “I have no regrets about the connection I made with her in the villa, and it was real,” he added.
“She does not deserve any hate. Please stop with the negative comments and DMs. We’re taking this time to focus on our mental health. Thank you, guys.”
Before their breakup, the couple had placed fourth on the reality series’ sixth season. However, their appearance at the show’s reunion, which aired on August 19, hinted at underlying issues in their relationship.
During the reunion, host Ariana Madix asked the couple if they were still together after leaving the villa, which led to an awkward silence followed by a tense exchange.
In response to Kendall’s claim that he had been “trying” to communicate, Nicole accused him of lying, particularly about an explicit video of Kendall that surfaced online shortly after they left the villa.
Initially, Kendall told Nicole that the video had been sent to an ex-girlfriend years earlier, but JaNa Craig later informed her that it was actually sent to someone on a dating app shortly before filming for the show began.
“Obviously, the video is not okay,” Nicole remarked at the reunion.
“But if you say you love somebody, you need to be honest. Instead of saying it’s from years ago to someone you trusted—an ex-girlfriend—and then I find out two days later from JaNa that it was in the hotel room before you go on the show, to someone on a dating app, is crazy.”
Kendall admitted his mistake without trying to downplay it.
“I 100 percent should’ve been honest with Nicole in that moment,” he admitted at the reunion. “But I honestly wasn’t ready. My life was turned upside down, and all I wanted was to have you there.”