Jack Fincham: Love Island winner 'gambled away £1m while drunk'

Love Island star Jack Fincham gambled almost £1m as a result of addiction issues.

Fincham - who won the ITV dating show in 2018 and is currently dating 'Towie' star Chloe Brockett - has opened up about his struggles with alcohol, drugs and gambling.

Appearing on ITV's This Morning to discuss his addictions for the first time, he said: "They all went hand in hand. I'd be drinking and doing whatever I was doing, I wasn't in my right mind, I'd think to myself, I'll give into myself, 'I'll go and win 100 grand today on Blackjack' - never gonna happen."

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Jack - who only gambled when he was "intoxicated" - recalled "doing 40 grand days", and the 32-year-old reality star made a startling estimate on the amount he wasted.

Love Island’s Jack Fincham placeholder image
Love Island’s Jack Fincham | Tim Roney/Getty Images

He added: "Very close to a million. It's awful. It's not even just that. The behaviour - driving, having no regard for even myself. I didn't even care for myself."

Fincham was jailed for six weeks at the end of January for being in charge of a dangerously out-of-control dog. He was released on bail pending an appeal. He has also recently faced the courts for drug-driving.

The reality star - who has been sober since Christmas - insisted his problems would have manifested "regardless" of his fame, although "having money in abundance quite quickly accelerated it".

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He said: "The amount of opportunities I have messed up due to this, but would not confront it and actually say, 'I have a problem here'. I would just try and go onto the next thing, and let someone down and burn some bridges.

"But I didn't wanna burn those bridges, I'd let those people down and then go onto the next thing, and all of a sudden there's nothing left to fall back on."

He recalled previously appearing alongside Andi Peters for the This Morning competition segments. He explained: "I used to come on here all the time and do the competitions with Andi Peters, and I loved it. But unfortunately, due to me not turning up to things and being unreliable, those opportunities went."

Now, Jack wants to "hold himself accountable" and inspire others to overcome their own personal issues, rather than being a "sob story".

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As well as being back in his old stationery job selling pens, he's also set for a professional boxing match next month.

Asked why he has to turn his life around now, he admitted: "The reason it's gonna stick now is there's nothing more to salvage. Everyone else, I'm on their last chances. There's no going back now."

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