Love Island latest: The public’s doubt over Jake is seeping into the villa – will he face the consequences?

Despite the recent declaration of love, Jiberty’s place in the villa may still be teetering on the brink

Do you remember where you were when you first said "I love you"? Not the platonic or familial “I love you”, but the romantic kind. The kind that’s of monumental, earth-shattering importance. The kind that terrifies and excites, leaving you simultaneously at your most vulnerable and powerful, looking down from the precipice of human emotion and saying, "I’m going to take a leap here." That kind of "I love you".

Imagine, then, that four weeks after first uttering those words, you finally hear them said back to you. What might you feel? Joy? Ecstasy? Jubilation? What if upon telling your close friends of this life-changing moment, their response is one of doubt and uncertainty. Friends... welcome to the world of Liberty.

It has been a tough week for our Libs, who has up until now had a fairly smooth run in the villa. With her relationship supposedly saved from the brink by those magical three words, the reactions of Kaz, Millie, Faye, Chloe, Mary and Priya said it all. They weren’t buying it.

It is a testament to Liberty and her emotional maturity that her reaction was not to scream in their faces and tell them to f*** off. Instead, our hot babes were able to clearly express their doubts and frustrations, namely centred around Jake’s dirt-poor timing and lack of communication skills. In earlier columns, I have expressed concern that Jake is being treated unfairly, Friday night’s episode only further exacerbating a pre-set narrative that has been established since episode four. However, it seems like the public doubt that has been so masterfully sown is now seeping into the villa, with Chloe and Faye particularly troubled by Jake’s declaration.

Though Jake and Liberty were able to talk it out (in the world of Love Island, a couples massage can solve any and all relationship woes), it feels like Jake’s reputation has been soiled beyond repair, and for what? Expressing slight doubt in the first week? Being slow on the communication front? Surely that’s not enough to get Jiberty booted off the island...

Because yes, a big boot is coming, descending from the sky like a Monty Python set piece. Rather conveniently for our islanders, Priya expressed doubt over her dinner date with Brett, accusing him of boring her with a lack of scintillating chat. This feels particularly egregious considering Brett is a PhD student and she is a doctor. What did she expect? Your Irish hunk was right there!

With Faye and Teddy, Jake and Liberty, Priya and Brett and Mary and Aaron all facing the chop, it is up to the public to decide who is the most incompatible couple. It might be that Brett is provided with a lucky escape from Priya, considering her type on paper is... much older conservative politicians, but with Jiberty hanging in the balance, it really is anyone’s game. Will Jake face the consequences of the villain edit, or will they live to love another day. I know what I’m hoping for, for Liberty’s sake.