How Caroline Flack paid tribute to 'beautiful soul' Sophie Gradon on Love Island Aftersun
Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.
Love Island is back under the microscope after the release of the Prime Video documentary The Curse of Love Island, which has a focus on the death of Sophie Gradon.
Sophie was one half of the first ever same-sex couple in Love Island history in 2016. Just two years after her appearance on the show, however, the Newcastle-born 32-year-old took her own life.
Speaking in the Prime Video documentary, a childhood friend of Sophie’s, Steve Douglass, says he wishes she had ‘never gone on the show’, adding that after the fame died down, she experienced financial difficulties and felt ‘her spark had gone’.
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In The Curse of Love Island, which airs on 26 July, there is a debate around whether the tribute to her from ITV was enough, with an episode of Love Island being dedicated ‘in loving memory’ to her, as well as the late Caroline Flack speaking about her death on the post-show Aftersun.
What was Caroline Flack’s tribute to Sophie Gradon on Aftersun?
Speaking ahead of the first ad break on Aftersun, Caroline - who also tragically took her own life in 2020 - said: “Tragically this week, we lost a beautiful soul in Sophie Gradon.
"She was a gorgeous person both inside and out, and everyone's thoughts here at Love Island are with Sophie's friends and family at this really terrible time... Sophie, we'll never forget you."
Despite this tribute the documentary raises questions about the aftercare procedures that were in place to support the contestants on the show.
Former Love Islander Malin Andersson, who was on season two with Sophie, said: “There was no aftercare with love island. I didn't get anything."
Malin claimed that she only received an offer of support when Sophie died, with ITV saying in a statement they would begin ‘proactively’ check with Love Islanders in response to her death.
In addition to Sophie and Caroline, season three contestant Mike Thalassitis also took his own life in 2019.
What did Sophie’s childhood say about her tragic death aged 32?
Speaking about her death, Sophie’s friend Steve said: “It’s still very raw… I hear a song playing in my car and I have to pull over because it reminds me of her. Talking about what happened, it's really difficult. It's not something you easily get over.”
He also claimed that she was in a ‘vulnerable’ place after the show.
She was found dead in her parent’s home by her boyfriend, Aaron Armstrong, who himself took his own life just 20 days later.
Anton Danyluk, a contestant from season five of Love Island, spoke in the doc about his own mental health struggles following his stint on the show and stated that he at one low point attempted suicide.
Anton reached out to ITV’s psychological team during a difficult period of mental health struggle, but claimed he received a delayed response from producers, an interaction which he says left him feeling 'more worthless',
Responding to Anton's claims, a spokesperson for ITV said that Anton's alleged aftercare experience did not 'reflect their records', adding that support is available for 14 months after leaving the villa, with 'additional help provided where applicable'.
In a statement to LADbible, ITV said: "We are transparent that we maintain proactive contact with Islanders for a period of 14 months after the series in which they have appeared has ended, with additional help provided where applicable."
Both episodes of The Curse of Love Island will be available to watch on Prime Video from Sunday 26 July.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, please don’t suffer alone. Call Samaritans for free on their anonymous 24-hour phone line on 116 123 or contact Harmless by visiting their website https://harmless.org.uk.
Topics: Love Island, Mental Health, ITV, TV, Documentaries
Michael Slavin