Warning: this article discusses suicide, which some readers may find distressing.
On 20 June 2018, two years after appearing on the dating series Love Island, former contestant Sophie Gradon died by suicide. It was a loss that shook the show's fanbase and reignited longstanding questions about how much support reality TV contestants actually receive once the cameras stop rolling and the public attention fades.
Now, a former castmate of the Newcastle-born model has come forward with fresh allegations, claiming the show's producers failed to provide Sophie with the mental health support she needed after leaving the villa, despite claims that she had asked for it directly.
Malin Andersson, who appeared alongside Sophie on the second series of Love Island in 2016, features as a guest contributor in the upcoming two-part docu-series The Curse of Love Island, set to premiere on Prime Video this weekend. The documentary promises an unflinching look at the darker side of reality television, including the deaths of several former contestants who once appeared on the show.
Asked to comment on the series ahead of its release, a spokesperson for ITV told press that it would never be appropriate for the broadcaster to comment on specific steps taken in relation to any individual's welfare, citing medical confidentiality. The spokesperson added that where the documentary may present inaccuracies in an account of how someone was looked after, it's difficult for the broadcaster to contest those claims when it cannot discuss specifics, and noted that ITV does not recognise the events described about the aftercare of contributors as presented in the film.
To understand why Sophie Gradon's story continues to resonate years later, it helps to look back at her time on the show. During her season, Sophie struck up a widely followed romance with Welsh fitness enthusiast Tom Powell, who became a firm fan favourite, particularly among female viewers watching at home. One of the more memorable moments of her time in the villa came when Sophie used a 'Miss Love Island' talent-show segment to speak out about the double standards women face around sexuality, after her co-star Zara Holland had been stripped of a beauty title over reports she'd had sex with a fellow Islander.
After Tom was voted off the island, Sophie went on to form a connection with fellow contestant Katie Salmon, becoming part of what's often cited as the show's first same-sex couple — a moment that added another layer of cultural significance to her time on the series. A few weeks before that season's final, Sophie chose to leave the show voluntarily, telling viewers she wanted to reunite with Tom Powell outside the villa.
Although the on-screen romance with Tom was ultimately short-lived, Sophie's profile only grew after the show ended. She became a familiar face on the red carpet circuit and a regular presence in entertainment magazines, living out what looked from the outside like the glamorous, high-visibility lifestyle many reality contestants hope for when they sign up for a dating show.
According to Malin, that public image masked a much harder private reality. She alleges that at some point after the show, Sophie's mental health reached a breaking point, and that Sophie proactively reached out for help. 'I remember Sophie being upset, and we'd speak,' Malin recalled. 'She was trying to get in touch with Love Island, and she was mad that they weren't giving her a response.'
That account is echoed by Sophie's childhood friend Stephen, who also appears in the documentary. He has admitted that he always feared something like this could happen, describing it as every friend's worst fear coming true when he learned what happened to Sophie.
In the summer of 2018, weeks after the fourth series of Love Island had begun airing, Sophie was found dead at her parents' home by her boyfriend and her brother. Northumbria Police treated her death as a likely suicide at the time, and an inquest later ruled that she had taken her own life while under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Police also confirmed that Sophie had been diagnosed with depression and low self-esteem back in 2013, and had been taking medication for social anxiety disorder prior to her death.
Malin has said the loss of her former castmate forced her to reassess her own understanding of fame and struggle. 'I didn't know she was feeling that bad, to want to do that,' she admitted. 'I think Sophie's death really put things into perspective for us. People think you've just been given a green card and you've got a good life. No way. Nobody knows what's going on truly for people in reality TV.'
Stephen has raised similar concerns about the pressures that come with sudden reality TV fame, saying that being part of the industry Sophie found herself in could cause real anxiety and mental health strain, and suggesting that the difficulties she faced might have looked different had she never appeared on the show at all. He has been direct in saying he believes production needs to offer more support to people once they leave.
Malin has also alleged that producers didn't reach out to her personally until after Sophie's death. 'I didn't get any calls,' she claimed. 'When they did call me after Sophie had died to ask if I was okay, I remember feeling a bit of anger, because I knew they hadn't looked after us properly.' Stephen has offered a similar characterisation of the aftercare process, describing contestants as being thrust into the limelight and then, once the show ends, sent home in a taxi with little in the way of structured follow-up support.
ITV has previously said that its duty of care measures for Love Island contestants have evolved significantly since they were first published in 2019, following broader public concern around the wellbeing of participants across the reality TV genre — concern that intensified industry-wide following a string of high-profile deaths connected to other shows during that period.
The broadcaster has pointed to its published welfare protocols, which include psychological support before, during, and after filming, structured training for participants on how to handle media attention and public behaviour, and a social media blackout period while contestants are still living in the villa. ITV has also said these measures are regularly reviewed by independent Chief Medical Officers, with one saying the safeguards continue to evolve in light of experience and advances in best practice, while another framed the ongoing challenge as balancing contestant welfare with preserving the creative spontaneity that makes the format work.
The upcoming documentary doesn't focus solely on Sophie Gradon's story. It also revisits the death of fellow former Islander Mike Thalassitis, who took his own life in March 2019 at the age of 26, a year after Sophie's death. A toxicology report at the time found that Mike had alcohol, cocaine, and antidepressants in his system when he died. Prior reporting has also indicated that Mike had privately struggled with depression in the months leading up to his death, a battle that reportedly went undisclosed to those closest to him, including his own family, until afterward.
The show's former presenter, Caroline Flack, died by suicide in February 2020 at the age of 40. In the weeks before her death, Flack had been arrested and charged with assaulting her partner, Lewis Burton, and had stepped down from her hosting role on Love Island amid the fallout. Her death, much like Sophie's and Mike's, prompted widespread public reckoning with how reality television franchises support the people at the centre of them, both during production and long after a season wraps.
Responding to Malin's claims and the upcoming Prime Video documentary as a whole, an ITV spokesperson offered a statement extending sympathy to the families of both Sophie and Mike, acknowledging that many members of the production team who worked on the show's earlier years are still working on the series today, and that news of Sophie's and Mike's deaths was, and remains, deeply distressing to everyone who knew them. The broadcaster said both are remembered with great affection.
The Curse of Love Island arrives at a moment when reality television as a genre continues to face scrutiny over how contestants are prepared for, and supported through, the intense and often disorienting experience of sudden fame. For families like Sophie Gradon's, and for former castmates like Malin Andersson, the hope expressed publicly has been that documentaries like this one push the conversation forward rather than simply revisiting old grief for entertainment.
If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, support is available. In the UK, Samaritans can be reached free, any time, on 116 123. In the US, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available 24/7 by calling or texting 988.