It has calmed down since.
Former Love Island contestant Brett Staniland has said that he was on the end of “homophobic abuse” after leaving the show.
The model entered the villa as a bombshell last year but didn’t last long on the show after he didn’t couple up with anyone.
Speaking to The Sun, Brett revealed that he was bombarded with “a lot of abuse” following from his stint on the show and it was sometimes “challenging to go out in public”.
He said: “There were a few bad situations at parties I went to and a lot of homophobic abuse against me.
“The say don’t read or engage with the negative stuff online, but it’s really hard to escape when it’s on Twitter, TikTok, Instagram and everywhere else.
“Nothing prepares you for someone coming up to your face and calling you a c*** or a f*****. It’s really challenging, but now things got better.”
Since 2019, Love Island has had stricter duty of care protocols after the deaths of two former contestants, Sophie Gradon and Mike Thalassitis, as well as former presenter Caroline Flack in 2020.
This year, ITV is changing up things when it comes to the pre- and post care the contestants are getting before and after going into the Love Island villa.
Back in 2018, the channel launched a review of participant welfare processes, and this year, they have gone even further when it comes to how the contestants are taken care of, both before they enter and once they exit the villa.
According to Glamour, this year, before they enter the villa, contestants will watch a video fronted by the show’s executive producer and head of welfare, which will interview former Islanders about their experiences on the show. This will include details on “the two week period before they enter the Villa, how to cope with being filmed 24/7, the interaction they will have with producers in the Villa, the support provided to family members, dealing with social media trolling, and adapting to life away from the show.”
