EXC: Love Island’s Adam Collard admits he chose ex Paige Thorne as a game plan

Adam Collard has admitted he had a game plan during the second stint on Love Island in a new interview with MailOnline.

The reality star, 27, earned a reputation as a lothario during his stint on the 2018 series and later returned for the 2022 series.

And now Adam – who met ex-girlfriends Zara McDermott and Paige Thorne on the dating show – has revealed that he would “choose the right person to stay on the program longer.”

In an exclusive interview, the fitness enthusiast explained, “The thing about Love Island is I’m the only one willing to admit it, I would totally choose the right person to stay on the show.”

“That’s why I came back on the show in my eyes, they realized I didn’t care about anything.”

Cheeky: The reality star, 27, – who met ex-girlfriend Paige Thorne on the dating show – has revealed he would ‘choose the right person to stay on the program longer’

Adam and Paige broke up after she accused him of cheating after he was filmed flirting with other girls on a night out.

He continued, “We all know the game. The second time it was really hard for me because I could see through everything, it’s unbelievable how clear it is the second time.

“It messes with your head, you almost convince yourself that you like these people and once you see the light and get home, you realize you’re not a perfect match.”

Adam, who is currently single, previously made not one, but two appearances on Love Island, becoming the first former islander to return as a bombshell during last year’s series.

For the first time in Love Island history, this year’s islanders’ social media profiles remained “asleep” during their time on the show.

Speaking of the new rule, which meant contestants came down to a lower social media following, Adam said, “I don’t know if I would have said yes the second time if they said that to me because what’s the point. ‘

“I don’t feel sorry for anyone who puts themselves in those situations. Unless you’re from one of the early series, you could come out of the first three series and live a normal life, but now everyone aspires to be a Molly-Mae.

“If you stay there for more than two weeks, you’re in the public eye, you’re made fun of, you have to take the rough with the smooth. You must have a thick skin, because it’s terrible.’

Adam previously shared on his YouTube how he’s seen people like Molly-Mae Hague become hugely successful through the show, admitting that he wanted a “piece of that” himself.

Adam admitted, “We all know the game. The second time it was really hard for me because I could see through everything, it’s unbelievable how clear it is the second time’

He said, ‘You get a few followers, if you have a business like me it will help to strengthen that and that will put you in a better situation and there will be a lot of good opportunities after that.

“So yes, everyone comes up and says I’m here to find love and that, yes you actually are and that’s unreal of course, but nobody’s crazy.”

Speaking about his future reality TV career, Adam said, “I would like to continue, I am a celebrity, the hardest challenge for me would be jumping out of the helicopter, because I am afraid of heights. I would also like to do SAS: Who Dares Wins, anything challenging.

“But I’m not going to lie, I think I’ve done my time on reality TV well, I’m not sure I would do it again.”

Adam recently revealed that he hopes to settle down in the future and get married “as much as the next person.”

Speaking to The Sun, Adam acknowledged that he has been “ruthless” in past relationships, but hopes to take a new path.

He said, ‘I’m dating again now. You know what, even though I’ve been a little ruthless with relationships in the past and yes I’ve ended things when things started to fail, I’m actually a bit of a hopeless romantic.

“I do think there’s someone out there for everyone, and I want to do all the things I enjoy doing with someone else.”

Adam and Paige broke up after she accused him of cheating after he was filmed flirting with other girls on a night out.

Throwback: Adam, who is currently single, previously made not one, but two appearances on Love Island, becoming the first former Islander to return as a bombshell during last year’s series (pictured with ex-girlfriend Zara McDermott)

Fitness expert Adam acknowledged the breakup was “kind of my fault,” adding, “I ended up breaking up on the second or third day I was in Bali. I think we both knew then that we were on the same wavelength and that we knew what was coming.’

Paige previously told Cosmopolitan that she knew their relationship was over after the personal trainer “literally ghosted” me.

She said, “He didn’t text me back. He would let me read all day. My own friend literally ghosted me.

“From that point on, I was like, ‘We’re done. This is more than a joke now.’ He replied, “I didn’t want it to go that way, but at least we both know where we stand.”