Caroline Flack has opened up about the controversy surrounding Love Island after one of the show's former contestants, Mike Thalassitis, tragically passed away in March 2019. Many viewers called for the show to be cancelled, following in the footsteps of The Jeremy Kyle Show, which was cancelled indefinitely following the death of one of its guests in May.
Caroline opened up about the show
Speaking about the reaction in an interview with Cosmopolitan, the Love Island presenter explained: "It's dangerous and I’m really, really angry. It’s not just that you’re blaming a TV show, you’re blaming people and their jobs. In life we all have a duty of care to look out for each other, but I don’t think it’s fair to point fingers of blame. This is a much bigger issue than just a reality TV show, and when something this bad happens - and I’m talking about Mike - when something this horrible and sad occurs, it’s so dangerous to point fingers within hours and minutes of it happening."
Love Island will return on 3 June
She continued: "None of us know what’s going through someone’s mind and we can’t sit there and speculate. It’s time to think about the bigger picture, about what’s going on with young men and young people and the pressures of modern life. It’s just too sad and too sensitive to talk about. He was always a total gentleman to me and I’m going to be a total lady back." In response to the controversy surrounding the show's return, ITV2 released a new care of duty process detailing the amount of care that the contestants would receive before, during and after the show.
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The announcement read: "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 July issue of Cosmopolitan is on sale from 31 May
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