Michael is right to worry

MICHAEL OWEN’S daughter Gemma (left) makes her debut on ITV2’s Love Island tonight. The former England footballer has described it as a ‘father’s worst nightmare’, and I think he’s right to be concerned. Not because she might be filmed having sex and it will be broadcast into the homes of millions — though this is surely a reasonable concern — but because of the devastating mental health impact of transient fame. Reality TV contestants often don’t realise they have no way of knowing how they will come across or what footage the producers will choose to include. Viewers laugh and boo, forgetting that these are real people. There have been calls for greater mental health aftercare for contestants, but as a psychiatrist I can tell you the only sure-fire way to escape unscathed is never to go on one of these shows in the first place.