FORMER Ponteland High School pupil Adam Collard and Paige Thorne are among the bookies' favourites to win Love Island.

In a never-before twist for the ITV2 dating show, Newcastle-based gym owner and personal trainer Adam has returned to the Majorcan villa for a second shot at love.

The 26-year-old appeared on the popular show's fourth series in 2018, becoming one of the programme's most infamous bombshells.

Adam coupled up with fan favourite, Welsh paramedic Paige after her former partner Cumbrian rugby pro Jacques O'Neill walked.

Twenty-three-year-old Jacques, who claimed he would wait for Paige on the outside, told The Sun: “Doing Love Island was the worst decision of my life. I was ready to break down."

Before deciding to leave the show, Jacques came close to having a physical argument with Adam.

He said: “I thought if I don’t get myself out, things could go horribly wrong and I could get physical.

“At home, you can remove yourself from situations, but in there you had to deal with every situation, and in that moment, I took my microphone off, and walked straight through the front doors because I just wanted to get out of that place.

“I was saying, ‘This is more than a TV show to me’, it was genuine feelings involved and my headspace wasn’t right to be in a TV show.

“I dealt with stuff in there that I’ve never dealt with in my life.”

Viewers have, this week, seen Adam and Paige share their first kiss with the Geordie claiming she is "wifey material". He also shared dates with Summer Botwe and Danica Taylor, who he snogged as part of a challenge, 'pieing' Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu.

During Adam's first appearance on the island four years ago, he coupled up with Kendall Rae-Knight, Rosie Williams and later Zara McDermott and Darylle Sargeant.

His behaviour attracted criticism after footage showed him smirking as Rosie cried following their split, prompting a 'gaslighting' statement from Women's Aid.

His personality, however, is now being praised, with viewers describing him as "the voice of reason", "the most respectful boy on Love Island" and the "most sane boy in the villa."