Former Love Island star Teddy Soares has hinted he was left a shell of himself after his explosive relationship with Faye Winter.
The 29-year-old reality star was a contestant on the hit ITV2 dating show in 2021 where he was partnered with 28-year-old Faye. Viewers were shocked, horrified and appalled when Faye exploded at Teddy multiple times - sparking tens of thousands of complaints to Ofcom as viewers felt her toxic behaviour was abusive.
Fans then held their breath when the couple continued to date following the end of the season - with the pair moving in together three months after the season concluded. However, the couple ultimately split in February last year, claiming they had grown apart and decided to go their separate ways.
Now, almost a year after the split, Teddy has addressed past relationships and hints that he was left broken and “lost” by a recent romance - with many fans assuming he is referring to Faye. Taking to Instagram on Sunday, the TV star shared a clip of himself discussing his state of mind on a podcast.
Explaining how a relationship took a major toll on him, Teddy said: “I’m not a believer of going into a relationship and then you lose yourself. But weirdly, that happened. Like I kind of was like you know what direction am I going in now? Like where do I want to go, because I was so focused on someone else.
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“I remember when I was actually on the plane. The first moment of walking into the airport, having a conversation with the check-in desk, and just having a normal conversation was the kickstarted of ‘Oh, I’m going through this journey by myself and I’m now getting to know this person’.
“Now I’m getting to know the person that sat next to me on the plane. They’re also alone. They’re also traveling and it’s like ‘Oh, you’re now going through something that someone else is going through. This must be normal.”
Fans were quick to support Teddy, with one writing: “Great to see you out of your shell Teddy. Some relationships shrink us.” But others rounded on him for bringing Faye into his talk - even though he didn’t mention her.
One furious fan hit out, writing: “Leave Faye out of you’re conversations, u have to mention her to get people to read it.” But others defended him from the backlash, with one noting: “He’s not even mentioned Faye !!! He’s a great guy.” And others noted they were glad to see him looking confident while single, with one fan remarking: “He’s such a lovely lad so glad he got out. Tbh I was surprised he lasted as long as he did.”