Yahoo News Love Island announces changes to aftercare for cast following criticism
Note: The following article contains discussion of themes including suicide that some readers may find upsetting.
ITV has committed to changing Love Island's aftercare process for cast members in all future seasons.
The reality competition has been facing criticism from former cast member Jonny Mitchell and others for its aftercare in the wake of Mike Thalassitis' tragic death at the weekend.
In a statement released to Digital Spy on Tuesday (March 19), ITV said everyone at Love Island was "so shocked and absolutely devastated" by the news of Thalassitis' passing.
"When something so awful happens it is natural to enter a period of soul-searching and ask whether anything could have been done to help avoid something so terrible happening," the ITV statement read.
"It is not for us to speculate on the reasons behind this tragedy and what is so heartbreaking is that we simply cannot know."
The broadcaster went on to claim that some criticism of Love Island aftercare "bears no relation" to the actual processes that the show has had in place for contestants in the past.
"Our duty of care is a continuous and ongoing process for each Islander," ITV insisted. "This follows three key stages; pre-filming, filming, and aftercare.
"We work with both 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 on the programme."
However, ITV says it recognises its aftercare should be an "evolving process" and thus hired physician Dr Paul Litchfield to review its protocol internally six months ago.
As a result, contestants will now receive financial and social media training as well as mental health counselling when leaving the villa.
"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," ITV said in its statement.
"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.
"Having said all of this about Love Island, we must not lose sight of the wider issue which is the importance of the conversation on mental health. Across ITV, we have worked with a number of charities including CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) on Project 84 and with Samaritans and CALM on Coronation Street, tackling the issue of male suicide. Conversations about mental health have never been more important."
In the wake of Mike Thalassitis' death at the weekend, Celebs Go Dating paid an on-air tribute to him and there have also been touching remembrances from Made In Chelsea's Sam Thompson, Montana Brown and Mike's ex-girlfriend Megan McKenna.
We would encourage anyone who identifies with the topics raised in this article to reach out. Organisations who can offer support include Samaritans on 116 123 (www.samaritans.org), and Mind on 0300 123 3393 (www.mind.org.uk). Readers in the US are encouraged to contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 1-800-273-8255 or visit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
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