‘Love Island UK’ Bombshell George Knight Breaks Silence After Abrupt Villa Exit: “Family Comes First, Always”

George Knight, a contestant on Love Island UK Season 13, is opening up about his abrupt exit from the dating series.

The Islander came in as a bombshell on Day 1 but left the Mallorca-set villa after only a few days on the show.

“Family comes first, always,” Knight wrote on Instagram. “Leaving the @loveisland Villa was a decision made in order to be with my family. Out of respect for them, I’d prefer not to go into any further detail.”

He continued, “Thank you to everyone who has reached out with kind messages and support! It genuinely means a lot.”

Knight came in as a bombshell alongside Yasmin. They were both greeted by host Maya Jama outside the villa, who explained that they would be part of a twist. Both bombshells would spend the day with the Islanders, and after 24 hours, would pick one of them to dump from the villa. The decision seemed to weigh heavily on both bombshells, but Knight seemed to take it even harder as he delivered the news to his fellow Islanders.

ITV, which produces the series, has not commented on the reason Knight left the show, and the Islander preferred not to go into details about his exit.

Knight, a 28-year-old professional footballer (soccer player) from Winchester, said he was not entering the show for drama, but knew that it came with the process.

“I think through finding what you want, you’ll naturally come into a bit of friction,” he said in a statement before entering the villa. “I don’t seek drama but I’m quite naturally competitive but if there’s something in my way, I want to put my best foot forward.”

Love Island UK Season 13 airs nightly on ITV2 and ITVX in the UK, while in the U.S. it streams on Hulu.