Love Island has announced plans to offer more support to contestants following the death of Mike Thalassitis.
Tragically, it was revealed on Saturday that Mike had died, aged 26.
His passing followed the death of Sophie Gradon, who died aged 32 last year having appeared on the show in 2016.
Following the tragic losses, some former Islanders hit out at the show for ‘not offering enough support’ once the series is over.
“Care for our Islanders is a process the show takes very seriously and is a continuous process for all those taking part in the show,” ITV said earlier this week in response to the claims.
They explained: “We ensure that all of our Contributors are able to access psychological support before, during and after appearing on the show. The programme will always provide ongoing support when needed and where appropriate.
“We also discuss at length with all of our Islanders, before and after the show, how their lives might change and they have access to support and advice to help with this.”
They added: “Everyone at ITV2 and Love Island are shocked and saddened by the terrible news about Mike. Our thoughts and condolences are with his family and friends.”
Now Richard Cowles, boss of ITV Studios which makes Love Island, has announced plans to increase support for those who take part in the show.
“When something so awful happens we naturally enter a period of soul searching and ask whether anything could have been done,” he wrote in a statement. “This review has led us to extend our support processes to offer therapy to all Islanders and not only those that reach out to us.
“And we will be delivering bespoke training to all future Islanders to include social media and financial management.
“The key focus will be for us to no longer be reliant on the Islanders asking us for support but for us to proactively check in with them on a regular basis.”
The TV chief also outlined the “continuous and ongoing” care given to Islanders before, during and after their time in the villa in the full statement, which you can read here.
A new series of Love Island is expected to air on ITV2 from June.
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