ITV have confirmed that Love Island will still go ahead next month after many have called on producers to cancel the show.
Calls for Love Island to be pulled from ITV2’s schedule came following the news that the Jeremy Kyle Show had been permanently cancelled after a guest died from suicide before their episode was due to air.
63-year-old David Dymond was found dead on May 9 after his appearance on the show. The show was then suspended indefinitely before being permanently cancelled.
Now, people are calling for Love Island to be given the same treatment since two of its former stars also died by suicide.
https://twitter.com/owennblewitt/status/1128631940666597377
I’m a massive fan of love island don’t get me wrong but how can they axe the Jeremy Kyle show not even a week after someone committed suicide and yet love island has had two suicides but yet it’s still set to air again this year?
— Benny James (@Beno_ldn) May 15, 2019
ITV is stopping Jeremy Kyle for the death of a guest but won’t stop Love Island after two of the contestants committed suicide in the past 12 months🥴 says it all really😬
— jesse (@jesselang_) May 15, 2019
Mike Thalassitis, who appeared on the show in 2017, was found dead in March of this year at the age of 26. Meanwhile, Sophie Gradon, who appeared on the show in 2016, was found dead last year at the age of 32. Her boyfriend also died by suicide shortly after.
A spokesperson for ITV told Yahoo, “We are not issuing any further statements regarding Love Island but it will be back on ITV2 this summer.”
Some Twitter users are now calling for viewers to boycott the show until it’s cancelled.
One Twitter user wrote, “So all the tweets regarding Love Island & the removal of the show, I agree for many reasons HOWEVER how many of the people with this opinion will continue to watch?! It needs to be boycotted.”
https://twitter.com/Laura_S_A_/status/1128615835252207616
Following the death of Mike Thalassitis in March, ITV released a statement claiming that they prioritise contestants’ health and wellbeing.
“Care for our Islanders is a process the show takes very seriously and is a continuous process for all those taking part in the show.
“We ensure that all of our contributors are able to access psychological support before, during and after appearing on the show. The programme will always provide ongoing support when needed and where appropriate.
“We also discuss at length with all of our Islanders, before and after the show, how their lives might change and they have access to support and advice to help with this,” the statement read.
