Let's dive straight into the nitty-gritty — the elimination and your volunteering to leave. What was going on in your mind moments before that all happened?

That week had really been rough. I had been trying to stay positive and felt like because I was saved that there was a reason behind that, and that I still had a purpose in the villa. But as time went on, each day, I realized that I couldn't stop thinking about Andy [Voyen], and I knew in my heart it wasn't fair to the other islanders. When we had that surprise dumping and I knew a girl had to be picked to go home, I immediately knew in my heart. I was like, "This is what I'm supposed to do. It's time to end my journey."

I'm not 100% invested anymore since Andy wasn't there, so I knew it wouldn't have been fair for me to stick around and for someone else to go home if I knew that they were still 100%, and that they deserve to find that connection. Especially Nadjha [Day] and Kat [Gibson], because they had been there for three or four days, and I had been there for three weeks. I knew I had to follow my heart in that decision, and it was literally the best thing I've ever done, and I'm happy with everything and how it turned out. Watching the show now, I'm seeing that the people that did get to stick around are forming connections, so that makes me happy.

On social media, people are praising you wholeheartedly that you made a pretty selfless call in an environment where you could've stuck around if you'd really wanted to.

I appreciate the love and support, because I was thinking about everyone else. In the end, doing "Love Island," I was there to find someone and find a connection. I didn't care about the prize money; I didn't care about the clout. I really was there to find someone. I had been single for six years, so leaving my friends and family and making that sacrifice to do the show — I was legit there to find someone to form a connection [and] to hopefully have it outside of the villa as well.

Every time I was trying to form a connection with someone, I was asking, "Is this going to work outside of the villa?" Andy was literally the only one I ever saw it working outside with. When he left — I don't think it hit me until after he left — then I knew in my heart that I had to leave.