Austin Shepard starred on Season 7 of Love Island USA. His season just aired last summer, showing Austin entering the Villa on Day 1 and leaving, dumped, on Day 24. Towards the end of last year, Austin next filmed on Season 2 of the spin-off series, Love Island: Beyond the Villa. But as Austin just revealed, he actually relapsed on this set, and no one knew, not even the ever-present crew members.
Austin Shepard recently entered rehab for opioid addiction
Austin is officially 11 days sober from opioids, he recently confessed via TMZ’s Previously On podcast. As Austin explained, many people will likely feel shocked to hear these words falling out of his mouth. Because “No one knew. I’m a pretty manipulative, functional addict until it becomes so unmanageable—like how it got.”
Austin added, “I can bullsh*t for a while. That’s the salesman in me, just smile and wave and pretend everything is OK.” But now that their cameras are down and Austin is coming clean, his costars are thankfully standing in his corner, Austin said.
“Charlie [Georgiou] started reaching out in the last month and was like, ‘Bro, what’s going on?’” Austin recalled. “I just got pretty real with him, just telling him pretty much everything. He’s been wishing me love, giving me love.”
So have TJ Palma and Iris Kendall. “They’ve been sending me love,” Austin stressed.
Regarding his relapse, “That was my moment of clarity, finally,” Austin explained. “I know how this road goes. I’ve had plenty of friends who are not here today that have sadly passed from it, and it’s either death or a long life of misery.”
Austin needed professional help following his relapse, since “There was one night when I was sitting there, and I was just going crazy. I hadn’t slept in four nights. I was very sick.” But thankfully, Austin ended up finding a great center that “took really good care of” him.
Love Island USA is available to stream on Peacock.
TELL US – ARE YOU PROUD OF AUSTIN FOR COMING CLEAN?
