ITV2 have revealed a detailed duty of care process for Love Island after the controversy surrounding the show's return. Some viewers have called for the popular reality show to be cancelled after the deaths of two former contestants, following in the footsteps of the Jeremy Kyle Show, which was cancelled following the death of one of its guests in May.
There is an extensive care of duty process
The announcement from ITV partly reads: "The key changes this year are – enhanced psychological support, more detailed conversations with potential Islanders regarding the impact of participation on the show, bespoke training for all Islanders on social media and financial management and a proactive aftercare package which extends our support to all Islanders following their participation." The duty of care process was also reviewed by medical officer Dr Paul Litchfield, who said: "I have reviewed Love Island’s duty of care processes from end to end and they show a degree of diligence that demonstrates the seriousness with which this is taken by the production team."
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The process will include pre-filming psychological and medical assessments of the contestants, detailed explanations of the implications of taking part in the series to the cast, a mental health first aid member of the senior team on set, and a welfare team dedicated to the cast members during the show and for aftercare. Speaking about the new measures, the Creative Director ITV Studios Entertainment Richard Cowles said: "We’re very excited that Love Island is back for another series. It is the nation’s favourite dating show and we have a fabulous new cast of young singles all looking for love and ready for a summer of romance in the iconic Love Island villa.
The cast of Love Island 2018
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"The format of the new series will be familiar to Love Island viewers and we can’t wait to see how the new Islanders take to life in the villa and how relationships blossom. We hope that viewers will be hooked as they watch these young singles fall in love - hopefully it will be a summer to remember for both the Islanders and our viewers."