Former Love Island stars have come forward to hit back at the show after the death of Mike Thalassitis. The former footballer, who was just 26-years-old, was reported to have passed away yesterday (16th March), having been found in woodlands near his home in Essex and tributes have poured in.
Although no further information has been released by either Mike's management or the police, many stars of the reality show as well as other celebrities have called this a 'wake-up call' and said that more needs to be done to help those who go on the show after they return to the UK.
Dom Lever, who took part in the show in 2017 with Mike, took to Twitter to criticise the lack of after-care following the show, writing, 'You get a psychological evaluation before and after you go on the show but hands down once you are done on the show you don't get any support unless you're number one.'
Malin Andersson, who took part in the show in 2016, also blasted the show after dealing with the death of her mother shortly after leaving the villa, and also losing her baby daughter earlier this year.
She wrote, 'If I didn't have a strong head on me that my mum passed down to me, I wouldn't have been able to cope with this all. But not everyone is like this. PLEASE IF YOU FEEL ALONE, OR SAD, OR STUCK REACH OUT TO SOMEBODY!'
Referencing her friend Sophie Gradon, who also passed away last year, she added, 'Nothing when my mum died. Nothing when Sophie died. Change needs to happen. I got flowers from the producers when my daughter died. No phone call. No support, or help.'
Mike's former Celebs Go Dating coach Eden Blackman also took the opportunity to share phone numbers for helplines, writing, 'I’m shocked and extremely saddened to hear reports of the passing of @MikeThalassitis. He was extremely fun to work with and always made me smile. My sincere condolences to his family. RIP Mike.
'We all struggle, we all fall despite the version we portray on social media. If you feel you can’t talk to your friends & family about your worries & concerns, these organisations are here to listen & help. Please call them, they save lives ❤️.'
Actress Sheridan Smith also commented on the situation, writing, 'This should be a massive wake up call, I feel sick, reach out, sometimes to the most confident friend. We can only learn & try to change.'
This isn't the first time that the show has been blasted for its lack of after-care. After Kady McDermott got into a public spat with former TOWIE member Maria Fowler, she said, "Hopefully going forward reality shows will help more with the aftermath of being on one.
"I can say it definitely didn't happen after my series when lots of us needed it. Peoples lives change over night and no one can mentally be prepared for it. The good and the bad."
However, after Sophie Gradon's devastating death last year, Olivia Attwood wrote in her column for New! magazine that she'd had good experiences with the team post-Love Island.
She wrote, 'My experience was nothing but positive. I know that everyone from our series still stays in touch with ITV and I don’t think anyone is dumped and then chucked off the grid. They check up on you, they call you and they offer you counseling.'
Her ex-boyfriend Chris Hughes also praised ITV, saying to Victoria Derbyshire last year, "In the series that I was in you spoke to somebody before, and they make sure you're fine, and during your time in the show, you can also speak to somebody. And then afterwards before we flew home to the UK, still when we're within a duty of care from ITV, we have an opportunity to speak to somebody.
"We speak to them regardless, that's set in stone. So they can prepare you for what to expect when you land back in England. One thing I will say is when I filmed another show with ITV, another reality show, mine and Olivia's, we were given support by a psychologist there for whenever we wanted it. It's obviously a massive help."
If you're struggling with your mental health, Samaritans can provide 24/7 confidential support on their free helpline. Dial 116 113.