Agony Island... ITV hit by 200 complaints after star breaks down
AN episode of Love Island that showed a contestant in floods of tears after being ‘cheated on’ has sparked 200 complaints to Ofcom.
Air hostess Amy Hart, 26, sobbed uncontrollably after discovering her ‘half-boyfriend’ Curtis Pritchard, brother of Strictly’s AJ, had kissed another woman.
After a week of tantrums and humiliation, the reality show was criticised by viewers, who called for specialist care for distraught contestants. Fans attacked the show for screening Miss Hart’s breakdown after she learned of Pritchard’s kiss with a new girl, model Jourdan Riane, 24.
‘I thought I’d met my first love and the one and it turns out I haven’t,’ she cried. ‘I’m someone’s back-up plan yet again... I wouldn’t have ever looked at anyone else.’
It is the latest in a series of complaints lodged against the ITV reality show.
A spokesman for Ofcom said all new complaints related to the fallout from the latest ‘recoupling’, which saw firefighter Michael Griffiths, 27, accused of ‘gaslighting’ Amber Gill, 21 – manipulating her mentally – after he called her ‘pathetic’ in a heated row.
Griffiths ‘coupled up’ with newcomer Joanna Chimonides, 22. When explaining why he chose to be with Miss Chimonides, he berated Miss Gill for her shortcomings, prompting complaints of emotional abuse and demands to remove him from the villa.
And last month, Ofcom received 486 complaints when ‘predatory’ Maura Higgins, 28, tried to get boxer Tommy Fury, 20 – brother of Tyson – to kiss her. She straddled him and continued to pursue the kiss, even after he refused politely.
ITV has come under pressure to safeguard its contestants following the deaths of previous islanders Sophie Gradon, 32, and Mike Thalassitis, 26, who both took their own lives after appearing on the show.
An ITV spokesman said: ‘We have a duty of care to all of the islanders and we have dedicated welfare producers and psychological support on hand at all times... especially if someone appears to be upset.’