JACK Fincham once told me he manifested winning Love Island before he’d even auditioned for the show – and believed he was destined to be a TV star.
But today, Jack spent time behind bars after he was handed a six-week prison sentence for admitting being in charge of a dangerously out-of-control dog who attacked a runner and mauled a woman.
Jack Fincham fights another day after being let out on bail[/caption]
Jack has been in trouble with the law in recent years[/caption]
His dream of making a comeback now feels further away than ever, if not totally dead in the water, as he was freed on bail.
Amid the highs and lows of his Love Island fame, I always found Jack to be charming – despite his countless run-ins with the law.
When I broke the story about his secret stint in rehab after a drug relapse made him hit rock bottom, the 33-year-old spoke openly and honestly about the mistakes he’d made.
He had “fallen to pieces” after having “more money than he knew what to do with” – spending it on drink and class A drugs and taking at least 30 diazepam pills a day to cope with his crippling anxiety.
But Jack insisted he didn’t want people to feel sorry for him.
He knew it was completely his fault his behaviour had lost him thousands of pounds in paid work, that he was facing drug-driving charges and had been kicked off mega-money TV opportunities like Celebrity Ex on the Beach.
He also recognised that he had hurt the people he loved the most, like his mum and sister, and was running out of chances to make amends.
Jack told me: “I don’t want to be the one people describe as ‘he could have done so well, but he f***ed it up’. I want them to say ‘yeah he did f*** up but look what he’s done now’.
“I want to be a role model, not an embarrassment.”
He believed he deserved “better” than the path he’d gone down – but knew his addiction struggles could not only ruin his life, but end it prematurely too.
“I’ve got no choice. I either turn my life around or I’m dead,” he said.
I began to worry that the fun-loving Essex lad who was almost Danny Dyer’s son-in-law wouldn’t see 35.
So it saddened me that a year after saying this he was pulled over and charged with driving after taking cocaine while using a false number plate.
Again, he had risked killing himself and other people by driving under the influence of drugs – and dodged prison thanks to suspended sentences and community service.
However, his luck ran out when he recklessly failed to follow three rules over the ownership of his out-of-control Cane Corso dog Elvis after its first attack.
After a suspended sentence for speeding down the hard shoulder in a BMW while on cocaine, failing to keep Elvis on a lead or wearing a muzzle was what allowed the judge to throw the book at the Love Islander.
He was let out on bail hours later as he appeals the six-week jail sentence.
Reflecting on my past conversations with Jack, it’s clear he knew he had the world at his feet and he’d let himself down.
I hope this is the true wake up call Jack needs to finally get on the right track.
He was angry and frustrated – desperate to be able to control his addictive personality and better himself.
Mental health struggles have no doubt played a part in Jack’s downfall. He is proof that you can have everything, but end up with nothing if you make the wrong choices.
I hope this is the true wake up call Jack needs to finally get on the right track.
He may still yearn for the chance to be back on TV, but after his brief but powerful stint in prison, I hope he’s grateful for his freedom – and living to fight another day.
