Following the death of another former Love Island star, Mike Thalassitis, Love Island has changed its aftercare strategy.
Having faced serious criticism from fans and previous stars of the show for the “lack” of aftercare and help following the series, Love Island has reviewed its programme in order to help contestants adapt to their new fame and salary once the show is over.
Speaking to The Sun, ITV boss and creative director, Richard Cowles said that care will be offered to every contestant from now on as well as financial management advice and social media training.
“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,” Richard explained.
Mike starred in the 2017 series of the show.
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Continuing, he said:
“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.”
Richard also noted that they’ll be working with a medical team to assess potential candidates before signing them up to the show too.
“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.”
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Mike Thalasissits was the second former castmate of the show to pass away. His death followed that of Sophie Gradon’s who died aged 32 last year.
