Dani Dyer has revealed she is still receiving support from the Love Island aftercare team, following recent criticism of the show’s processes.
The 2018 winner shared her experiences of the support offered by bosses, after many former contestants called for improvements after the death of series three star Mike Thalassitis.
In an interview with HuffPost UK on BUILD, Dani claimed the aftercare she had received had been “amazing”, insisting the team had been there for her and the rest of the series four cast.
She said: “For me personally, Mike’s death was absolutely devastating. I’m sure everyone was really, really shocked about it.
“It is such a whirlwind. You do come out and you are famous – it’s an overnight thing. But my aftercare was amazing, I’m still in contact with them all,” she continued. “They always say they’re just a phone call away, and if anything, I’m always texting [them], ‘what you up to?’. I did have that and I made sure of that.
“Even the other Love Island contestants, they speak to them because we’ve all had our ups and downs in silence where we’ve needed them and they’ve been there for us.”
She added: “I know there’s always that stuff on Twitter and social media, but I can only speak personally for me, I had it, and I still have a lot of support.”
Following news of Mike’s death last month – which followed that of Sophie Gradon in 2018 – ITV announced they would be introducing a swathe of changes to their aftercare, having completed an independent review of their processes.
This will include “bespoke” social media and financial training for future contestants, as well as a more proactive approach to checking in with former Islanders.
ITV’s chief executive Carolyn McCall later claimed the show’s aftercare “can’t be indefinite”, saying: “There has got to be a framework and it will come to an end.”
She added: “I would also say that I don’t think anybody has made a direct link between what happened to Mike and Love Island.
“That would be an extremely tenuous thing to do given he was very happy on Love Island and all his mates have said that and that he’s done two other reality programmes since then...”
Watch the full interview with Dani below...