Love Islands Paige Thorne reveals she was forced to quit

Love Island’s Paige Thorne reveals she was forced to quit her job as a paramedic to get on the show

Paige Thorne has revealed she was forced to quit her job as a paramedic to go to Love Island after NHS bosses feared a backlash on Thursday.

The Swansea native, 24, told Sharron Gaffka she was “devastated to step down” after trying “every avenue” to keep her job.

Paige, who placed fifth in this year’s series alongside Adam Collard, explained that despite the managers’ “support” she had no choice.

'Devastating': Paige Thorne has revealed she was forced to quit her job as a paramedic to go to Love Island after NHS bosses feared a backlash on Thursday

‘Devastating’: Paige Thorne has revealed she was forced to quit her job as a paramedic to go to Love Island after NHS bosses feared a backlash on Thursday

Speaking on the Girls Know Nothing podcast, she explained, “When I was telling work, I needed the downtime to go inside [to the villa]my manager was so supportive and she supported me 100 percent every step of the way.

“But the only thing was that I tried everything to keep my job and do Love Island at the same time.

“I said to my manager, ‘This is a huge opportunity, is there a way I can do it?’ I’ve tried annual leave, unpaid leave, a career break, I’ve tried every possible way to to keep my job and do Love Island.

The Swansea native told Sharron Gaffka she was

The Swansea native told Sharron Gaffka she was “devastated to resign” after trying “every avenue” to keep her job

At work: Paige continued,

At work: Paige continued, “But the only thing was, I tried everything to keep my job and do Love Island at the same time.”

She continued: “Unfortunately, because paramedics and the ambulance service and the NHS in general get such a bad backlash for wait times and understaffing, I thought they said, ‘Yes, we want to give you our full support.’

“But they were worried that if I walked in people would say, ‘Oh the NHS is in such trouble and the paramedics are in such trouble and they gave you time to go to Love Island.

“It might have created more bad press and bad backlash that they just didn’t need. Which I totally understand. So my only option was to resign, which devastated me.’

Backlash: She said:

Backlash: She said: “They were concerned that people would say, ‘Oh the NHS is in such trouble and the paramedics are in such trouble and they gave you time off.’

Paige explained how bosses stated that if everything was fine during the show, she could return as a bank paramedic.

She added: “Having a banking contract gives me the ability to choose when I work my shifts and what would work for me.

“So a bank contract means I can have the best of both worlds.”

Coincidentally, Paige was back in the office just two weeks after the show ended before she wanted to return to her normal job.

Return: Coincidentally, Paige was back in the office just two weeks after the show ended before returning to her day job

Return: Coincidentally, Paige was back in the office just two weeks after the show ended before returning to her day job

Earlier this week, Paige took to Instagram and shared a clip of herself with some of her co-workers, all of whom were in uniform.

The reality star looked sensational in the video as she donned a dark brown low-cut top and an open white shirt.

Paige was all smiles as she caught up with her work colleagues and captioned the video with a string of hearts.

It appeared to be a fleeting visit for the star, but she later shared a snap of herself walking through Bristol Airport for a trip.

Overjoyed: Paige took to Instagram on Monday and shared a clip of herself with some of her colleagues, all of whom were in uniform

Overjoyed: Paige took to Instagram on Monday and shared a clip of herself with some of her colleagues, all of whom were in uniform

It comes after Paige recently said she plans to return to paramedic work following her success on Love Island.

Speaking of ITV’s Lorraine, she said: “I’ve got a meeting to get back into paramedic work too, so that’s going to be exciting. I actually saw an ambulance with sirens the other day.

‘I had how seriously FOMO! I said, “Bring me back my ambulance!” So I’m going to come back to that a little bit and just see what the possibilities are.

“It’s one of those things — I really love my job. So why wouldn’t I want to go back to that? I really enjoyed it. But I’ll do other things besides that.’

Stunning: It appeared to be a fleeting visit for the star, but she later shared a snap of herself walking through Bristol Airport for a trip

Stunning: It appeared to be a fleeting visit for the star, but she later shared a snap of herself walking through Bristol Airport for a trip