Love Island ‘will not be axed after homesick staff are told their jobs are safe’
LOVE Island is said to have told its homesick staff in South Africa that the show is not getting the chop after the suicide of Caroline Flack.
The ITV2 hit, which will air a montage of clips featuring the former host tonight, has been rocked by the star’s death but will return in the summer.
A source told the Mail: “The mood on set is on the floor, it’s horrible.
“Staff are feeling homesick for the first time ever after Caroline’s death – all they want now is to be back at home with their loved ones.
“Although final decisions for the show are yet to be made, staff have been reassured the summer series will go ahead as planned and their jobs are safe.”
Love Island will return to screens tonight after being removed from schedules for two days in a row.
However, the Aftersun spin-off programme will not go ahead as planned and the usual promos for the show that run throughout ITV’s daytime schedule have also been pulled.
Caroline, who hosted the summer version of the ITV2 series, was found dead in her flat after taking her own life on Saturday.
She had been left terrified after learning prosecutors were not going to drop the assault case against her.
Show bosses held crisis talks about Love Island’s future yesterday and made the decision to cancel it for the second night running on Sunday evening.
An ITV spokesperson said in a statement: “Many people at ITV knew Caroline well and held her in great affection. All of us are absolutely devastated at this tragic news.
“After careful consultation between Caroline’s representatives and the Love Island production team and given how close we still are to the news of Caroline’s tragic death we have decided not to broadcast tonight’s Love Island out of respect for Caroline’s family.
“Love Island will return tomorrow night [Monday] which will include a tribute to Caroline who will be forever in our hearts.”
This year’s contestants are not thought to be aware that she has died, or that they have not been appearing on TV.
- If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans for free on 116123
YOU'RE NOT ALONE
EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide.
It doesn’t discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It’s the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
Yet it’s rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
That is why The Sun launched the You’re Not Alone campaign.
The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our bit to help save lives.
Let’s all vow to ask for help when we need it, and listen out for others… You’re Not Alone.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
- CALM, www.thecalmzone.net, 0800 585 858
- Heads Together, www.headstogether.org.uk
- Mind, www.mind.org.uk, 0300 123 3393
- Papyrus, www.papyrus-uk.org, 0800 068 41 41
- Samaritans, www.samaritans.org, 116 123