It’s been claimed 38 celebrities around the world are suspected to have died by suicide following links to reality TV shows.
The alarming figures come after Love Island star Mike Thalassitis took his own life last week, his body found in a North London woodland area.
The Sun On Sunday this week conducted a report into the deaths of those linked to reality shows and discovered the figure, calculated using celebrities from around the world, including Australia the US and Asia.
Big Brother psychologist Emma Kenny declared: ‘These figures are horrendous. I have seen people broken after reality TV.’
While a source claimed to the publication people with histories of mental health issues are allowed on: ‘People are going on these shows who aren’t strong enough to cope. They come out to millions of social media followers, trolls, hangers-on. Some are national hate figures.
‘For a young person with a mental health condition, it’s a lethal combination.’ Stars mentioned in the article included Hell’s Kitchen star Rachel Brown, 41, who in 2007 reportedly died by suicide in the US.
Also included was Paula Godspeed, 30, who rose to fame on American Idol. She was found dead in her car in November 2008 from a suspected drug overdose. However, family has insisted it was accidental.
French Survivor’s Thierry Costa, 38, died by suicide after claiming his name as show doctor was ‘sullied’ in the wake of a young competitor’s death during a challenge following cardiac arrest.
It comes after Love Island released a statement on their process of aftercare on the ITV2 show specifically, following calls from many islanders to do better.
26-year-old Mike was found in woodland on 16 March, after taking his own life. It’s believed his death came days after his Nan passed away aged 94, who he had moved in with to be her full-time carer.
This weekend friends held a vigil in the forest where he was found. His death followed that of Sophie Gradon, 32, whose body was found in her parent’s home in June last year.
Love Island producer Richard Cowles has said the show will now insist that all islanders meet with a therapist whether they ask for one or not, and they’ll provide the islanders with social media training and advice on financial management.
2018 islander Alex Miller revealed show producers saved his life after he fell into a depression following the show.
Speaking on FUBAR radio, Alex said: ‘I had a little rant on Instagram. I went through a bit of a dark patch and luckily one of the producers follow me on Instagram, saw the rant, got in touch with me and put me back in touch with a psychiatrist.
