Castaway star’s warning over life in front of the camera

nce Ron Copsey country’s first ity TV. And he first casualties.

d, it was the remote ansay that changed have taken their own lives since appearing on the show, and presenter Caroline Flack has so tragically done the same.

“It’s heartbreaking that so many people in the spotlight have issues as a direct result of their fame, whether that’s five minutes or a long and even very successful career.

“I know what it feels like to not want to step outside your door, because you feel you have no skin – you are totally exposed.

“And then you have the people who sit at home on social media – the trolls – who find it easy to pull those in the public eye down.” with a vet’s bill and said I needed to get the rest of the islanders’ approval to pay it from the community budget.

“I was so upset by the insensitivity that I tore the bill up and kicked a chair.

“It was the final straw for me and I left the island.

“When events were shown on TV months later, it had all been edited and manipulated to make it look like I had thrown the chair at a woman on the island in a drunken rage – and that never happened.”

Ron successfully sued both the BBC and the TV production company for libel. They were forced to pay almost £100,000 in legal fees and damages.

Ron was 44 when, in 1999, a friend showed him an ad looking for volunteers to take part in the Castaway project.

He thought the show would attract a niche audience of outdoor enthusiasts and nature lovers.

Ron said: “At one of the auditions I was warned by someone in the production team that I should run.

“I was told producers were talking about the different people they liked as if we were characters in a soap, and she was worried because I was so open and honest. It did make me think twice. I was the last of all the islanders to sign my contract.

“But I thought living on this remote island sounded like such a wonderful experience that would teach me about human nature. “So I ignored my gut instinct.”

Ron left his home in Twickenham and travelled to Scotland with Charlie on December 27, 1999, to begin the year-long adventure.

But they were unable to get any further than Harris.

He said: “It turned out the island wasn’t ready for habitation, so we were stuck on Harris for the next month. Then a lot of us got ill with the flu.”

Once on the island, Ron admits he fell in love with its beauty.

He became keeper of the island’s chickens, as well as the English, art and drama teacher for the eight children on Taransay.

He made a lot of close friends, many of whom he keeps in regular contact with.

But he found elements of the filming side of the experience hard to bear.

He believes he was portrayed on the show as a loose cannon, often in conf lict with other islanders, lazy and with few likeable qualities. After Castaway, Ron finished his training to become a qualified counsellor and over the last two decades has treated many high-profile celebrities and former contestants of reality TV shows.

He said: “I would urge anyone thinking about applying to the next reality TV show to please stop and think again.

“And the people making these shows should be more respectful of the lives contestants will have when the cameras stop rolling.

“There are consequences to how someone is being portrayed.