‘Love Island’ bosses have vowed to make changes following the tragic passing on Mike Thalassitis and Sophie Gradon and they have insisted they will be “proactively checking in” with former contestants “on a regular basis”.
Richard Cowles, creative director of ITV Studios, has penned a letter, where he insists contestants on the ITV2 dating show will receive more support and they will “proactively checking in” with former contestants “on a regular basis”.
In a letter to The Sun newspaper, Cowles wrote:
“When something so awful happens we naturally enter a period of soul searching and ask whether anything could have been done. 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 … We work with an independent GP and a psychological consultant to provide an assessment of the physical and mental health of each of the shortlisted cast members and their suitability for inclusion.”
Following Mike’s passing last week, the show issued a statement to insist they take aftercare of Islanders “very seriously” and ensure contributors have access to psychological support “before during and after appearing on the show”.
They said:
“Care for islanders is a process the show takes very seriously and is a continuous process for all those taking part in the show. 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.”