Update: The Sun has reported that Amy Hart has left the Love Island villa following her split with Curtis Pritchard.
Last week, a very troubling story surfaced about Love Island. Amy Hart, who has been visibly struggling with her first real heartbreak on the ITV2 show, was reported to have left the villa. ‘Has Amy left Love Island?’ became a trending topic, with reports revealing that yes, she has left, but only temporarily to receive psychological therapy. Now, it's been reported that she has actually left the villa for good.
'It was Amy's decision to walk from the villa as she felt she had gotten as much as she could from the experience,' a source told The Sun, 'She fell in love, had her heart broken and couldn't stand the thought of seeing Curtis crack on with other girls while under the same roof as her.
'She was given therapy and support from the producers at ITV and they felt she was emotionally sound enough to make her own decision,' they continued, 'They would never dream of keeping someone in there if they weren't happy about it.'
In the last few days, we’ve seen Amy break down in tears during her confessionals, making heart-wrenching claims like 'I thought I’d met my first love and the one and it turns out I haven’t. I’m someone’s back up plan yet again. I wouldn’t have ever looked at anyone else. He was my future and now I have nothing and he’s taken that away from me.’
And although the news that she's receiving some extra support at this point has been applauded by many fans, we're still seeing people belittle her online, with people questioning her need for therapy and support in the face of heartbreak.
Yet, before we all rush to turn this into yet another plot twist on the show, we risk ignoring just what a big impact heartbreak can have on our mental health, but also, the extent to which heartbreak itself can be a catalyst or trigger for a bigger mental health crisis.
'All "losses" in our life are major events and give us the experience of trauma,' says psychotherapist and Counselling Directory member Lucy Fuller, 'The ultimate loss is, of course, the death of someone close to us, but all losses are a type of bereavement and we will need to work through them in the same way as experiencing a death of a loved one. In heartbreak, someone who we were in relationship with is suddenly unavailable to us and our routines and thought processes are suddenly ruptured, which is an incredibly difficult experience to cope with.'
Despite heartbreak being as painful as bereavement, we still - just as Love Island commentators have shown - underestimate the pain it can cause, and the way it impacts our mental health if we don't process that loss in a healthy way.
'Often heartbreak is not treated seriously,' Fuller continued, 'We are told "there are plenty more fish in the sea" which is incredibly unhelpful and hurtful. It’s not about finding someone else, it’s about being given the time, support and space to work through the loss. We can sometimes find that our circumstances are dramatically changed in a break-up and we may need help to sort out practicalities as well as looking after our mental health.'
As well as our lives being completely uprooted, in treating heartbreak as something trivial to simply 'get over' we force others to act unbothered by the loss, putting on a brave face and actually, suppressing emotions that can then in turn manifest into symptoms of mental illness. Because, regardless of whether you choose to express your emotions or not, your brain will always find a way to.
Whether that's developing an anxiety disorder (something I personally was subject to after my first heartbreak), experiencing depression or many other types of mental illness - heartbreak is traumatic, and we can't ignore Amy's just because she's a subject of entertainment. Loss transcends Love Island, we've seen it happen before and we can't allow it to happen again by trivialising her pain.
Read more: All of the Love Island rules...
Love Island Rules - Grazia
1 of 17You can’t masturbate
When Sherif was first booted out the villa, rumours swirled that it was because he'd been caught masturbating in the shower. The Sun reported that he would 'spend hours' in there - however, they also said he wasn't necessarily masturbating. 'When producers told Islanders they have to get ready to film a challenge, Sherif was deliberately spending ages in the shower. He said he couldn't be bothered,' the source said. All we know is 2 months without masturbating is a long time to go...
2 of 17You have to shower at certain times
When writing for Grazia, Zara McDermott revealed that she was most shocked to see Islanders is the 2019 series showering in the morning. 'We could only use the shower each evening,' she said of last season. Spending all day in the sun without a morning shower? No wonder Amber was worried about smelling when she Michael went to kiss her in the last season.
3 of 17You can’t talk about your relationship on Saturdays
In a shock revelation on This Morning, 2017 Love Island winner Kem Cetinay revealed the real reason the show doesn't air on Saturdays. 'They give you one day off. You get one day off per week,' he said, 'What happens is, it gives them a day to clean the villa, and you take your mics off, and normally we go to the beach.'But that wasn't the only startling revelation, he also admitted that producers watch Islanders like a hawk because they're not actually allowed to discuss their relationships. Essentially, anything they have to talk about their home lives outside the villa, lest they be scolded for breaking the all important rules.
4 of 17You can only have two glasses of wine or beer on a ‘big night’
They get dressed up, put on a full-face of makeup, film awkward dance sequences, and all for two little glasses of wine or beer. According to 2016 Islander Liana Isadora Van-Riel, 'you're allowed one or two drinks a night, either wine or beer, no spirits.'And while contestants will opt for two drinks on a 'big night', most nights they just have a cup of tea. Wild.
5 of 17You can’t be naked ever, even in the bathroom
Since the villa is technically a public space, there can be no nudity whatsoever as it would be considered public indecency. That means even in the bathroom, islanders can never be completely naked in front of each other.
6 of 17You can’t read a book or magazine
We knew about the no phone rule, which makes sense given they don't want Islanders reading about themselves online or hearing updates from the outside world, but no books or magazines?! No wonder their conversations become boring to watch, with 2017 contestant Montana admitting the villa is really dull day to day.
7 of 17You have to eat at certain times
According to Montana, contestants can make their own breakfast but lunch and dinner is always catered. In fact, food is brought through a secret door. 'In the larder there's another door that goes out the back that they lock,' she said, 'That's how they deliver food.'It's long been a question why we never see the Islanders eating, but Montana stated that's when producers come in and charge the contestants microphones, insisting 'everyone wants that good because it's so yum.'
8 of 17You can’t take your mic off ever
One of the most serious rules in the villa, contestants aren't allowed to take their mic's off apart from on Saturday's, their off day. If you're caught doing it more than once, you'll be axed from the villa immediately, according to The Mirror.
9 of 17You're not allowed to know the time
You essentially have to become a full Girl Guide in the villa if you want to know the time, telling it through the sun. Because, Islanders aren't allowed to know themselves and all of their phones are set to different times. 'You never know what the time is,' 2017 contestant Montana told The Independent, 'They'll wake you up by putting the lights on or a voiceover will say "Islanders, it's time to get up".'
10 of 17You can’t smoke in the villa, even in the garden
Love Island stopped showing scenes where contestants were smoking after complaints they were all partaking in the habit too much. Now, Islanders aren't allowed to smoke on the premises at all, even in the garden.
11 of 17You can't have unprotected sex
Plus, they have to declare before going on the show if they have any sexually transmitted infections. With rumours Kem and Amber got in trouble last year for having unprotected sex, this rule seems to be even more integral now. Discussions around sex on Love Island have snowballed massively as the seasons become more and more popular each year. While early seasons saw Islanders getting busy almost every night, in the same room with scenes often aired every episode, sex has become much more taboo - when it comes to airing it at least. In 2018, producers decided to stop airing sex scenes, as well as the Islanders smoking. Given the slut-shaming many female contestants receive upon doing the completely natural act it's unsurprising.
12 of 17You have to go for scheduled chats
And they must be juicy. According to Montana, when she and fellow 2017 contestant Camilla were talking about hymns they like, producers intercepted and told them to spice it up ('That's not interesting', they said). In fact, producers will also intervene to ensure certain people talk, but the conversation itself is not necessarily staged. 'They might be like, "Camilla, pull Montana aside and ask how she's feeling about Alex"', Montana admitted.
13 of 17You’re not allowed to get waxes
It's long been wondered how the contestants keep up with their beauty routines in the villa, with not a bumpy bikini line or stubbly chest in sight. Do contestants have waxers brought in to the villa? Absolutely not, according to Montana. While the women in her season requested wax strips to do it themselves, they 'all had bruising' and so resorted to shaving, with Montana insists 'most people' do.
14 of 17You absolutely cannot have drunken sex
A huge villa no-no, drunken sex is completely off the cards for Love Island contestants. Given that they're allowed two wines or beers on big nights and most of them sip on tea all night, we're not sure that's a huge risk, to be honest.
15 of 17No inappropriate language or behaviour
One of the actually non-weird rules, contestants are completely prohibited from 'innapropriate language or behaviour'. While it's quite a broad, and subjective, phrase, the rulebook applies it to racial slurs, homophobia and aggressive language. Plus, sexual harassment and physical violence is included in this rule.Other than Sherif, the only villa removal we've seen because of rule-breaking was when Malia Arkian punched Kady McDermott back in season two, so it's clearly a big one.
16 of 17No discriminating against staff
Another non-weird rule, contestants aren't allowed to be rude or discriminatory to staff or else they will be booted off.
17 of 17They need to keep the complete rule book at all times
All of these rules must not only be obeyed at all times, but contestants must also keep the rule book in their possession too - just in case they forget about the whole no masturbating thing.