Love Island has spoken out to defend the Islanders after Chloe Burrows’ family was targeted with death threats.
The ITV2 team are spearheading a new campaign encouraging viewers to ‘be kind’ – but sadly that has done little to stop a torrent of abuse from trolls attacking relatives of the current islanders.
During last night’s episode, viewers were fuming by the shock exit of Shannon Singh, who was dumped after Chloe was forced to choose a guy to couple up with.
Choosing Aaron Francis, Shannon was left single, and was surprised with an immediate text telling her to leave.
The move shocked viewers and many lashed out, to the point where it was so severe Chloe’s family was forced to speak out after receiving hundreds of hate messages and death threats.
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Now the show has spoken out too.
In the statement, they said: “We want Love Island to be a positive experience for all of our cast and their friends and family members.
A message from #LoveIsland pic.twitter.com/rENOJYqFm9
— Love Island (@LoveIsland) July 1, 2021
“Last night’s episode created strong reactions but some viewers’ posts were wholly unacceptable. We take these matters extremely seriously and will support cast members and their families for reporting such posts.
“We would once again urge all of our viewers to think before posting, and remember that our Islanders are people with feelings.”
What is Love Island’s duty of care programme?
Love Island has put in place new duty of care protocols for this year’s islanders to ensure their safety.
The move comes following the deaths of three major stars of the series.
Series two’s Sophie Gradon, series three’s Mike Thalassitis and host Caroline Flack all died by suicide over the past two years after incessant trolling and negativity.
As a result, the series came under fire for their lack of care for those involved.
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In order to counteract this, ITV revealed their extensive set of new practices.
This includes therapy sessions and psychologist consultations before and after their time in the villa.
Financial advisors and social media training are also offered for their post-show life to ensure this year’s contestants are fully prepared for life in the limelight.
They were also extensively vetted to ensure that they were emotionally ready for the series.
Love Island airs weeknights at 9pm on ITV2.
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