Over the last decade, Love Island has captured the attention of the UK - but despite the dating show's huge popularity, major tragedies have cast a shadow over the franchise. Three stars of the show have committed suicide since it came on the air in its current format in 2015, and concerns about the pressure the show puts on the mental health of the islanders led to new strategies being implemented by ITV to support contestants.
The new series of Love Island: All Stars, hosted by Maya Jama, will begin on 11 January, and see stars from previous seasons come together as they try and find love. However, the controversial history of the show still lingers in the public imagination, despite the dating contest's success.
Sophie Gradon
Sophie Gradon, who made history as part of Love Island's first same-sex couples in 2016, and left the villa on the 39th day, died in 2018. An inquest found that she had expressed suicidal thoughts just before she was found dead on 20 June, at her parent's home in Medburn, Ponteland.
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Supplied by WENN)Sophie - a model and winner of Miss Great Britain - was tragically just 32 years old when she died, and was two and half times above the legal driving limit at the time, having consumed alcohol and cocaine. She was found by boyfriend Aaron Armstrong and his brother hanging in the living room of her parent's home - with her partner coming over because he had become concerned about her.
Despite attempts to resuscitate her, Sophie tragically passed away - only a short while after she had taken part in a talk about the damaging aspect of social media on children, and given an interview in which she reportedly discussed the massive impact trolling and "negative comments" had made on her, saying the "harsh reality" was that this could lead to someone taking their own life.
"There would be so many negative comments. They are commenting on the way you look, the way you talk. They would come up with an opinion of you on a TV show where they’ve watched you for 45 minutes," Sophie said three months before her death.
Only adding to the tragedy, Sophie's boyfriend Aaron died by suicide just 20 days after her.
Mike Thalassitis
Mike, a former footballer, appeared on Love Island in 2017 and quickly rose to fame becoming a favourite amongst many viewers. However, just two years later, Mike was tragically found dead in a park in Edmonton, London, aged just 26 years old.
A coroner found that he had committed suicide, after using cocaine and alcohol. After leaving Love Island, Mike is reported to have moved in with his grandmother, and became her full-time carer - but his caring responsibilities meant he didn't have much cash, and he got into debt.
After the death of his beloved grandma aged 94, Mike was reported to have been left devastated, with a source saying to The Sun at the time, "Mike had so much to live for. He was about to launch a restaurant in Essex with a pal. He was grieving the loss of his nan.
"There was so much in store for his future that this is truly senseless."
Caroline Flack
Caroline Flack - who hosted Love Island from 2015 to 2019 - committed suicide in February 2020, at the age of 40. She died two months after being charged with assaulting her boyfriend Lewis Burton, and her bail conditions meant that a 'no contact' order had been put in place, so she and her partner could not speak to each other.
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Getty)The host's death shocked fans, and has left her mum Christine on a relentless search for the truth about the final months of her daughter's life. Christine will "explore" these "unanswered questions" in a new documentary that will drop on Disney+ later in 2025, and the "challenging" documentary hopes to "seek some form of resolution" over the tragedy.
Miscarriages
Two Love Island stars have opened up over the years about suffering devastating miscarriages. Jess Hayes - the winner of the first season of the reality show in 2015 - movingly revealed on social media that she had suffered two miscarriages - the first in 2019 with her ex-partner Dan, and tragedy struck again in 2021 with her current partner Zeb.
"I debated posting it feels really strange to open up and feel vulnerable but you know I'm always open and honest with you all and it's hard to pretend I'm ok as it's been a rough week. But I hope that someone going through the same this might help. I was pregnant and now I'm not," the former islander explained in 2021 - noting that she had to carry on with business as usual for her son Presley despite the devastating loss.
Sharon Gakkfa - who took part in Love Island in 2021 - also revealed that she had suffered a miscarriage, in a heartbreaking post on social media, on what would have been her baby's first birthday, saying she was finding it "incredibly tough" to "function" amid her grief.
Cancer
One brave former islander opened up about their cancer journey after a fan pointed out what they thought could be a symptom of the deadly disease. Demi Jones became a firm fan favourite after winning the first winter season of Love Island - but tragedy struck after fans warned her about a faint mark on her neck, which sadly turned out to be cancerous.
Demi - who was only 22 at the time - got out of the villa only to find many people were warning her about the lump, which she quickly got checked out. Devastatingly, she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer - but after undergoing surgery and treatment, including the removal of her thyroid, she was cancer-free by December 2021.
Infant death
Former islander Malin Andersson went through a devastating tragedy in 2019, when her one-month-old daughter died, after being born seven weeks premature. Malin starred in the 2016 season of Love Island, three years before this unbelievable tragedy.
Baby Consy - named after Malin's mum - suffered from complications at birth, and was being treated at Great Ormand Street Hospital, but heartbreakingly didn't make it. "Completely in love with you.. and my Mum just wanted you to be with her. Your time wasn't ready yet. Mummy loves you. I stayed with you each day..." Malin wrote in a heartbreaking social media post announcing her daughter's death.
"You opened your eyes one last time for me and I saw those beautiful big brown eyes. I'm so sorry I couldn't do anymore. Go be with grandma Consy. My angel. Rest in peace".
Maya Jama, who took over hosting Love Island from Laura Whitmore in 2023, has recently said to The Guardian that in light of the difficulties the islanders face, she is "protective" over the contestants, but impressed by the measures ITV now take to ensure their wellbeing as they embark on their televised quest for love, which includes a social media ban whilst they are in the villa.
"I do feel protective of the islanders just because most of them are around my age, and I think, 'Bloody hell, if I was in there.'" Maya said. "I do think ITV now does a really good job. There are so many checks. There's a psychiatrist on set at any point. They go the extra mile now to make sure people are well looked after. They have made a conscious effort to make sure that if anybody has any issues they can speak to psych, they can talk to producers at any point, so yes I am protective of them."
*If you're struggling and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. Alternatively, you can email jo@samaritans.org or visit their site to find your local branch
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