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Awkward love triangle sees reality star Eoghan Murphy quit show: 'I'm gutted'

Love Island star Eoghan Murphy is the latest islander to leave the villa. Photo: Instagram/eoghannmurphy.
Love Island star Eoghan Murphy is the latest islander to leave the villa. Photo: Instagram/eoghannmurphy.

Eoghan Murphy might just be the most selfless person on reality TV at the moment after he stunned viewers by bowing out of Love Island on Monday night in order to give his best mate a shot at finding romance.

In a chat with Yahoo Lifestyle, the 23-year-old Irish-born hunk reveals that he sacrificed his position on the show to ensure his fellow islander and ‘little brother,’ model and wrestler Matt Zukowski, had the best chance of falling in love with the woman he had been pursuing.

The Gold Coast real estate agent openly admits that he has no qualms if Matt, 24, chooses to couple up with his former love interest Jordan Cayless - well, sort of.

Jordan hugs evictee Eoghan as a distressed Matt watches on Photo: Channel Nine.
Jordan hugs evictee Eoghan as a distressed Matt watches on Photo: Channel Nine.

Eoghan’s shock exit

Eoghan fell on his proverbial sword when he and buddy Matt found themselves on the chopping block, with Isabelle, Biannca and the woman they both have feelings for - Jordan, 28 - facing with the tough decision of which of the two to send home.

In a shock move, Eoghan urged the trio to cut him loose, arguing that Matt - who earlier in the show admitted to keeping a tally of the women he’s slept with - deserved to stay on and find love after experiencing a ‘hard run’.

“I just feel like Matty’s big brother. He’s had a hard run you know, he had a really tough gig with Vanessa [Joli] and he’s not had the opportunity to find love whereas I’ve had a fair crack,” he explains.

“I spoke to everyone I could, I put myself out there but I feel like [Matt] didn’t have the opportunity I had. I wanted him to have the opportunity to... get the girl he deserves,” he says.

Eoghan and Jordan. Photo: Channel Nine.
Eoghan and Jordan. Photo: Channel Nine.

Love triangle busted open

According to Eoghan, the girl Matt ‘deserves’ might just be his ex Jordan, saying that the prospective couple shares a ‘deep connection’.

“You never know, [Jordan] and Matty might hit it off... so if that happened I wouldn’t be mad,” he adds.

“I’d be happy for them. I know she’s a good girl and I know she’d do right by Matt,” Eoghan says.

“Jordan came in [to the villa] and said she had a connection with Matt and a connection with me, so I knew exactly where she was coming from and although she committed to me the fact is we were only together for two days and that’s what people need to remember, it was only two days!” he explains.

Eoghan and his 'little brother' Matt . Photo: Channel Nine.
Eoghan and his 'little brother' Matt . Photo: Channel Nine.

Holding out hope

While Eoghan appears diplomatic about Matt stepping in where he left off with Jordan, he admits to holding out hope that he and WA hairdresser Jordan may still reunite after the show wraps in a few short weeks.

“Obviously myself and Jordan had a good connection and I’m a bit gutted that I’ve not been able to make that grow but if she doesn’t find anyone in there over the next two weeks then I’m hoping we could do something on the outside,” he says.

He adds that he gave Jordan his blessing to move on with other islanders in his absence, but says he’s ‘not falling in love on the outside’ and hopes to ‘see if we can make it work’ if she’s single post-show.

Matt and Jordan. Photo: Channel Nine.
Matt and Jordan. Photo: Channel Nine.

‘I was close to cracking’

The long-haired hunk explains he coped with the intensity of the experience by ‘clinging on to reality’ but admits that the constant drama in the villa did get to him at times.

“There were plenty of times where I was tested in [the villa] and everyone was tested and everyone’s got different ways of showing it. I was close to cracking and so were many other people,” he reveals.

“You just gotta be open and honest with yourself, your worst traits are going to be shown in there and it’s probably good that that happens because then you actually know if someone wants to be with you or not because you’re seeing the worst side of them and they’re seeing the worst side of you and if they fall in love with that then you know you’re right for each other,” he adds.

Post-Love Island, Eoghan feels he has ‘grown in confidence and self-worth,’ two things he’s keen to ‘bring to the table’ on the dating scene.

But first, he’ll give his beloved mum a call, who he normally speaks to at least ‘four times a day’.

“As long as she knows I’m ok she’ll be happy, reality TV is what it is,” he says.

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