Series five of Love Island has officially wrapped for the summer, and producers are now taking no chances with the aftercare treatment of all eight finalists.
The finalists- Ovie Soko, India Reynolds, Greg O'Shea, Amber Gill, Molly-Mae Hague, Tommy Fury, Maura Higgins and Curtis Pritchard- are all on lockdown for 24 hours to receive aftercare and media training.
Before they jet back to the UK and Ireland and re-enter the real world, eight of the contestants will take part in a day of advisory sessions to aid them in readjusting to newfound fame.
"Bosses are leaving no stone unturned this year," an insider told The Sun. "Whereas the first day of freedom after the villa was historically a free-for-all, they are now making everyone stay put and have a “down day” with bespoke sessions.
"There was a feeling they let them loose too soon and with not enough advice so they’re just changing it entirely this year. It’s a day of adjusting back to civilian life," the source added.
"Their lives aren’t going to be the same again so experts will be on hand for any questions or worries they have." Love Island producers revealed their revamped aftercare programme back in May, including therapy and 14 months of support.
In the full statement, the show outlined three ‘key stages’ for the pre-filming, filming and aftercare – with aftercare especially getting an increase in support.
Thorough pre-filming psychological and medical assessments including assessments by an independent doctor, psychological consultant and discussion with each Islander’s own GP to check medical history take place.
Potential Islanders are required to fully disclose any relevant medical history that would be relevant to their inclusion in the villa and the production’s ability to provide a suitable environment for them.
I hope molly mae gets all the aftercare she needs she’s a 20 year old who will come out to nasty people saying shit about her for no reason. Molly mae will need the most care around her hope afterteam do everything can for her #loveIslandfinal#loveisland
Detailed explanations both verbally and in writing of the implications, both positive and negative, of taking part in the series are given to potential cast members throughout the casting process and reinforced within the contract so it is clear.
Cast are told they should consider all the potential implications of taking part in the show and work through this decision-making process in consultation with their family and those closest to them, to ensure they feel it is right for them.
Senior Team on the ground have received training in Mental Health First Aid. A welfare team solely dedicated to the Islanders both during the show and after.
Aftercare includes training on dealing with social media and advice on finance and adjusting to life back home, as well as a minimum of eight therapy sessions when they return home.
Proactive contact with islanders for a period of 14 months up until the end of the next series will ensue. This means contact with the Islander will last for 14 months after the series in which they have appeared has ended, with additional help provided where applicable.
ITV encourage Islanders to secure management to represent them after the show and manage them should they choose to take part in other TV shows, advertising campaigns or other public appearance opportunities.
Last night saw Amber and Greg crowned King and Queen of the villa, with charming Limerick lad Greg choosing to split his £50,000 prize money with his Geordie girl.
The 21-year-old beautician gushed: "Oh my god, it has been wild, like a roller-coaster of emotion, like absolutely mad."
She beamed at Greg. "He’s just lovely, he has nice energy about him. And he makes me laugh." Greg added: ‘I knew coming in she was the one out of everyone from the girls in the villa."
Six Love Island stars have slammed the show, claiming it left them feeling "suicidal" after they were treated like "performing monkeys".
Malin Andersson, Josh Denzel, Paul Knops, Adam Collard, Callum MacLeod and Alex Miller have banded together to write a scathing letter accusing ITV producers of pulling strings behind the scenes.
The former reality show contestants claim they felt depressed and worried following their stints on the show, and they've decided to speak out following the suicides of Sophie Gradon and Mike Thalassitis.
The deaths have sparked a huge debate regarding how Islanders were treated during their few weeks in the Spanish villa and the aftercare they received when they left.
Changes were made this year to the way the contestants were looked after once they were dumped from the show. ITV released a statement following Mike's suicide this year.
"Our duty of care is a continuous and ongoing process for each Islander. This follows three key stages; pre-filming, filming, and aftercare," they insisted.
"We work with both 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 on the programme."
"We have a medical team on location which includes a psychological consultant. They not only look after Islanders’ healthcare needs, but also monitor them to check that there are no emerging signs of any problems developing whilst they are in the villa.
"Additionally, several of our senior team, who monitor the cast around the clock, have been trained in mental health first aid." Six former Love Island stars have now spilled their true feelings on the series.
Alex Miller says he struggled to adjust to real life after his romance with Megan Barton-Hanson in the villa last year, tellingThe Ringerthat he had suicidal thoughts after fame went cold and he had to return to his job in construction.
Image: ITV/REX
"I never thought I would get into that mind frame. But I would be driving to work, contemplating ending things." Love Island bosses contacted a psychologist on his behalf after he opened up about these thoughts.
"From a Love Island perspective probably about five months after I was out of the villa and it had all died down and I was in a bit of a dark place and partying too much, I did have a rant on here and one of the Love Island producers got in touch and put me back in touch with a psychiatrist."
"They interviewed me, they knew my personality, and then they put me in the villa and said, ‘You’ve got 48 hours to steal someone’s girl, otherwise you’re gone’."
Adam was told that his career "a world of good" if he could "cope with this mentally" with the bad press that would come his way.
Callum MacLeod, who was the first of 2019's Islanders to be voted out of the show, spoke out to confirm that Islanders do get aftercare when they leave.
Callum said they were shown a video about trolling, which was created by former Islanders and detailed life on the outside.
Josh Denzel, from last year's series, said receiving cruel comments online was difficult to deal with. Friends who ran his account stopped posting online due to the hateful comments they read.
Paul Knops, from 2018's round-up, opened up about his anxiety;
He said: "You go through anxiety. It can be pretty stressful. And then you go back to your own home, and there’s no one really to talk to about what you’ve been through. It all comes down to dealing with stuff on your own, and not everyone’s great at that."
Other Islanders have defended Love Island and the aftercare;
Olivia Buckland spoke to the Daily Mail about her time on season two: "I was in constant contact with the producers for a very long time. I got offered psychological tests when I got out.
"I got offered counselling when I got out. I got a list of agencies. Honestly, they really did look after me, and Alex. They always checked in with us, and I’m still good friends with them now. Love Island is there for you if you need them."
"When I came out of the villa ITV sat down with me and went through everything that had happened to make sure I was prepared. I don’t blame ITV for any of this – they’ve been amazing," she emphasised.
"They are in regular contact and whenever anything difficult happens they make an extra special effort to check in on you to see if you’re OK. I’ve got the number of the show’s psychologist in my phone and I know I can call her whenever I need to.”
Alex George, who appeared in series four, told ITV News: "I can only talk about my own personal experience of course, and I’ve felt that when I’ve asked for help, I’ve received it."
Olivia Attwood (season three) wrote in her New! magazine column: "I think when you put yourself in a situation like this, it’s always a risk and you need to decide whether you’re strong enough to do it.
"I’ve been subject to a lot of negative comments from trolls in the past year, but the only point it really got to me was when I first came out," she added, referencing her thick skin developing.
Chris was elevated so much in the press, whereas I was a bit hated. It was a lot to deal with because I knew a side to Chris that no one else had seen. But even then ITV were so supportive to me."
"My advice to Islanders coming out is to brace yourself and keep as much normality as you possibly can because I always say to myself that this isn’t your real world. You’ve got to keep things in perspective.
"You were happy and existed before you went on TV, so you should be happy and exist after it all goes away."
Tom Powell, who took part in series two, told The Sun: "The show was crazy. But they took care of us. Anyone who says otherwise is talking bulls**t."
"This morning Love Island called me and said I could call the psychologist who works for the show. They gave her new number. He was one of the first person to speak to us.
"After you leave the show you speak to the psychologist and you were always checking in with her. We had a lot of care after the show. They took great care of us," he assured.
Chris Hughes, who appeared on series three, spoke out on Victoria Derbyshire: "Before the show you see a psychologist, and after the show before you head back to the show you see a psychologist.
"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," he said, defending reality television.
"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 and me and Olivia spent hours separately and together speaking to her because they were worried about that side of things with us. It's obviously a massive help."
It sounds like mixed messages from former Love Island stars. On the one hand, if you're built with a thick skin or develop one, it seems the aftercare is sufficient.
On the other hand, certain contestants receive far more trolling than others, and work dries up for many, which can be majorly anxiety-inducing.
Fans of the show are currently worried about Amy Hart, who has just voluntarily left this year's series after her brutal break-up with her first love; Curtis Pritchard.
