Conor Phillips admits being on Love Island 'wasn't straightforward' for him
The Limerick rugby star narrowly missed out on making it to the final with Dubliner Megan Forte Clarke, which saw Toni Laites and Cach Mercer crowned this series' winners.
But following Megan's first departure, Conor was coupled up with several different women on the dating show, however, he struggled to find a spark with any of them.
Then in a shock twist producers brought back Megan, much to the delight of Conor.
Captioning a series of pictures and videos of his time in the villa, he said: "Walking into the @loveisland villa eight weeks ago, I didn't know what to expect.
"I came in with an open heart and the promise to stay true to myself no matter what and I am proud to say I have done exactly that, even if it meant saying 'what's the craic like' a few too many times.
"My journey wasn't as straightforward as I would have intended but it was a massive learning curve, from laughs to lessons, challenges to connections and feeling emotions I never thought I had (@cacherel_ and myself have the same Al tear generator (?))."
The 25-year-old former Munster player said the show has made him "grow in so many different ways".
"I have grown in so many different ways and to have that seen and supported by all you means more than I can put in words.
"More than anything, I just wanted to make my mother proud, my family, my friends, everyone back home, I hope I did you justice.
"The messages, the love, the unreal support has been overwhelming in the best way. Thank you all for riding with me, I appreciate every single one you.
"This is just the beginning, let's see what's next."
It comes after Megan shared her appreciation for being part of the show, saying that while she didn't win, she "got what she wanted", referring to her romance with Conor.
She said: "Diva up x What an experience!!!
"I've laughed, cried, belched and wouldn't have had it any other way. I've learned so much about myself throughout this journey and I am so so grateful for the love and support it's been a wild one!!
"Got what I wanted in the end off to sing hsm in the pub now xxxx."
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
5 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Cowardice of C-listers on Celeb SAS: WDW is bad enough – but the bigger failure was the ‘interrogation' of Rebecca Loos
Read on for Ally's thoughts on MasterChef's return and the biggest TV lies and delusions of the month ALLY ROSS Cowardice of C-listers on Celeb SAS: WDW is bad enough – but the bigger failure was the 'interrogation' of Rebecca Loos THE worst thing about Love Island contestants? They never go away. Advertisement 7 Channel 4's Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins has been lumbered with Love Island contestants Credit: PA 7 While the heroic Special Forces instructors are quite rightly looking for 'people with grit' Channel 4's production team are ruthlessly hunting down over-sharing exhibitionists Credit: PA They either reappear on the winter version or they start polluting every other reality format in the schedule with their me, me, me schtick. With TV's worst-affected show currently being Channel 4's Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, which has lumbered itself with Adam Collard, Chloe Burrows and Tasha Ghouri, who are convinced the public know them best for. . . . 'being a bit of a lothario', 'snogging lots of boys' and just generally acting the a***hole on Love Island. A spectacular delusion, given 99.99 per cent of the public probably wouldn't recognise them if they abseiled into their bathtubs wearing a name tag. Which only goes to highlight the conflict of priorities at the heart of this show. Advertisement Pointlessly famous Because, while Foxy, Billy and the heroic Special Forces instructors are quite rightly looking for 'people with grit and determination who can make their country proud', Channel 4's production team are ruthlessly hunting down over-sharing exhibitionists who will bury their country's reputation under 100 tonnes of self-pity and too much bloody information. Just how badly the SAS boys lost that battle of wills can best be gauged by this year's line-up. As well as the three Love Island contestants, others wearing the tell-tale smirk of the pointlessly famous include: Louie Spence, S Club's Hannah Spearritt, Harry Clark from The Traitors, 'Peru Two' drug mule Michaella McCollum and the compulsory drag queen whose real name is Thomas George Graeme Hibbitts, so you can probably understand why the poor frightened little soul decided to call himself Bimini Bon-Boulash. Boxer Conor Benn is also present, along with footballers Troy Deeney and Adebayo Akinfenwa who should probably be slightly wary about 'TV personality and yoga instructor' Rebecca Loos, last seen bringing a pig to climax on Channel 5's The Farm, back in 2005, who remains stuck in a Catch-22 situation all of her own making. She desperately wants to move on from her alleged affair with David Beckham, but cannot shut the hell up about him. Advertisement A problem that wasn't helped by instructor Chris Oliver, who invited Loos to talk about him again, during an 'interrogation', with the words: 'I'd be interested to get your take on it.' But then missed a trick, once she'd finally exhausted herself on the subject, by failing to add: 'No, not Beckham, I was talking about the Channel 5 pig.' Celeb SAS Who Dares Wins full line up revealed with ex Premier League footballer, pop icon and THREE Love Islanders Say what you like about her, though, Rebecca Loos is far from the most brittle member of this feeble celebrity line-up which started to disintegrate almost as soon as the opening credits were done. First to go was Hannah Spearritt, who didn't even reach for the third ad break, let alone the stars. She was swiftly followed by Louie Spence and then the two Love Island girls who got the shortest shrift of all, from Chris Oliver, after voluntarily withdrawing on the way to the Hang Tough challenge. 'What do you mean VW?' he screamed. 'You haven't fookin' done anything yet.' Advertisement You could tell the production team were also livid and probably angry with themselves, for choosing such obvious quitters, as they decided to replay the contestants' opening words of defiance straight after they handed in their armbands. Hannah Spearritt: 'I'm pretty determined. I wouldn't say I give up easily.' Louie Spence: 'I'm a survivor.' Chloe Burrows: 'It's really hard for me to say what it would take for me to VW.' 7 Chloe just couldn't go on after struggling on the climb Advertisement 7 Tasha gave up just a few minutes after Chloe 7 Rebecca Loos cannot shut the hell up about Beckham Credit: PA It is? Then I'll say it for her. It took a tiny slope. Not even a hill, a slope was just too much of an obstacle to overcome, so Chloe quit and hopefully exited public life, just as John Barrowman did last year. Two acts of cowardice that'll hopefully jolt C4 into reviewing their recruitment procedure as all the tears and histrionics of these 'TV personalities' tend to obscure the fact there is actually a contest of sorts going on in the background. Barring injury, the eventual winner will probably be Conor Benn, Troy Deeney or Adam Collard, but definitely not rapper Lady Leshurr, who made a 26ft leap into an Anglesey harbour look like the annual Birdman of Bognor challenge. Advertisement She possibly provided the soundbite of the series so far, though, when Chris Oliver eventually hauled her out of the Irish Sea and asked: 'How did you find that?' 'Traumatic and salty.' And if that's not also the title of Louie Spence's autobiography, I'll hand my armband in as well. Great sporting insights LYNSEY HOOPER: 'I've lost count of the number of corners Rovers have had. It's 17.' David Croft: 'The one significant change is actually the second significant change.' And Mike Atherton: 'India 117-8. Three wickets lost yesterday, four this morning.' (Compiled by Graham Wray) SHOW'S GON OFF THE BOIL BBC1 introduced us to the best-named MasterChef contestant of all time, this week. He's Gon, from Thailand. Advertisement 7 MasterChef has returned to TV screens with a new series filmed before hosts Gregg Wallace and John Torode were dismissed last month Credit: Unpixs As opposed to Gregg and John, who are gone from pretty much everywhere. Also missing, from Wednesday evening's audience, was our ever-indignant Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, who described BBC1's decision to go ahead with the MasterChef series as 'absolutely appalling'. A slight step-up, incidentally, on the way Lisa recently described the Palestinian terrorist organisation Hamas, responsible for murdering 1,195 Israelis, on October 7, who were merely 'appalling'. Personally speaking, though, I cannot summon Lisa's levels of fury over MasterChef any more than I could avoid spluttering when John said: 'Get your mousselines out, Penelope', during the guest judge round. Advertisement For Gregg and John are clearly a pair of oafs who should've been reeled in or sacked years ago, just as surely as EastEnders should avoid repeating the finger-wagging lecture about Joel's toxic masculinity which preceded Wednesday's show. Unless, of course, the BBC wants to look like the most self- righteous hypocrites on the planet. But boycotts are for students and watching MasterChef is punishment enough for any man. So I took my medicine on Wednesday night and immediately found myself in a battle with acute drowsiness, during the mystery box test. The moment John started fretting about the texture of yet another risotto, though? I was . . . what's the word? Gone. Unexpected morons in the bagging area THE Chase, Bradley Walsh: 'How many miles long is the Daytona 500 motor race?' Paul Sinha: '250.' Tipping Point, Ben Shephard: 'Creme fraiche literally translates from French to English as fresh what?' Lee: 'Yoghurt.' And Ben Shephard: 'The first summer Olympics in modern history was held in 1896 in which Greek capital city?' Malik: 'Rome.' Random TV irritations ARROGANT Tipping Point: Lucky Stars contestant Matt Dawson ordering Ben Shephard to 'move on' rather than saying pass. Advertisement The preening self-satisfaction of GMB's holiday cover pundit Nels Abbey, whose stupidity manages to make Ed Balls look like Jeremy bloody Paxman. And drag queen Bimini Bon-Boulash claiming to be 'flying the flag for misfits', on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins which, given there's a bloke in a skirt on nearly every mainstream show, is the very last thing he's doing. He's flying the rainbow flag for establishment cliches. TV gold THE genius and extraordinary back story of Billy Joel getting the treatment they richly deserve from Sky Documentaries' brilliant six- hour, two-parter And So It Goes. Kevin Rowland putting the Jocky Wilson debate to bed on BBC2's hugely enjoyable Dexys At The BBC (it was deliberate). Love Island's Unseen Bits playing The Addams Family music to the arrival of the islanders' relatives on ITV2. SAS: Who Dares Wins legend Billy Billingham lacing the question, 'What does 'Bimini' do?' with more contempt than you'd ever imagine four words could carry. And the Sky Sports presenter, late on Sunday, who said: 'Making their return to the Scottish Premiership, Full Cock.' Before she corrected herself, rather unnecessarily in my opinion. 'Falkirk.' Lookalike of the week 7 This week's winner is Mahdi, from Destination X, and Sergeant Stavros from Kojak Credit: Supplied Sent in by Gordon Montgomery. Advertisement
Irish Daily Mirror
6 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Guinness World Record for biggest céilí band set in Wexford
A brand new Guinness World Record for the biggest céilí band has officially been set at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in Wexford. On Thursday at Chadwick's Wexford Park, the Guinness World Record for the Biggest Céilí Band was smashed when 1,018 musicians from across Ireland, Europe and the world gathered under the watchful eye of Glen Pollard, who adjudicated the attempt. The Wexford record was attended by musicians from countries including the USA, France, Japan, UK and Canada. Instruments included tin whistles, fiddles, concertina, accordion, banjo, guitar, mandolin, drums, piano and uilleann pipes, to name a few. Unsurprisingly, following last year's successful record for the largest tin whistle ensemble, the tin whistle was the most prevalent instrument played today. The previous record for the largest céilí band was 384 people, and was set by The Late Late Show, at Croke Park, in Dublin, on March 15, 2024. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
Irish Daily Mirror
6 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Dublin Zoo announce arrival of new orangutan as heartwarming mural unveiled
Dublin Zoo has officially announced the arrival of Miri, a female adult Bornean orangutan - as it unveils a mural paying tribute to a beloved pair of apes who died within the last two years. Miri, who is 34 years old, arrived from Duisburg Zoo in July and has been settling in extremely well, developing a friendship with 20‑year‑old Mujur, the other female Bornean orangutan in Dublin Zoo's Orangutan Rainforest. Visitors have been getting their first glimpses of Miri over the past few weeks, with her favourite spot to relax being at the very top of a tree in the habitat. Her arrival is the first step in rebuilding the much‑loved orangutan group at Dublin Zoo, following the passing of the Zoo's beloved orangutan pair Sibu and Leonie in 2024 and 2025 respectively. Sibu and Leonie had been inseparable companions for over 40 years, and their loss has been keenly felt by the zoo's staff, volunteers, and visitors. To ensure their legacy lives on, Dublin Zoo commissioned Wexford‑based artist James Kirwan to paint a mural commemorating Sibu and Leonie. Sibu and Leonie had been inseparable companions for over 40 years, and their loss has been keenly felt by the Zoo's staff, volunteers, and visitors (Image: Dublin Zoo) The mural, which took four days to complete, is located just opposite the Orangutan Rainforest and is sure to spark fond memories for visitors who grew to love them over the decades. It depicts Sibu and Leonie at their most content – side by side. Ciarán McMahon, Team Leader at Dublin Zoo, said: 'Welcoming Miri to Dublin Zoo is a truly special moment. We hope she will play a central role in shaping our new Bornean orangutan family, even as we remember Sibu and Leonie – the iconic pair who were at the heart of our orangutan group for more than 40 years. "Since her arrival, Miri has settled in wonderfully and is already forming a close bond with Mujur. She's an impressive character with a strong personality, and we're excited for visitors to meet her and see her shine in the weeks and months ahead.' To mark World Orangutan Day on August 19, Dublin Zoo is offering a 25 per cent discount on adult, child and family tickets for visitors wearing orange between August 15 and 19 or those who pre-book for these dates via using the discount code ORANG25. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
