Zara Holland Blasts Love Island Aftercare: ‘They Put People’s Lives In Danger For The Sake Of Good TV’

She had been crowned Miss Great Britain when she was snapped up to appear on the 2016 series of Love Island, but Zara Holland has admitted that her time on the show left her battling depression.

Opening up to Closer recently, the 22 year old – who famously lost her crown after having sex with fellow contestant Alex Bowen, and left the show soon after – said, 'The period after Love Island was one of the toughest times of my life. I had trolling, cyber bullying, hate.'

She said contestants should be warned that their celeb status can be fleeting, saying, 'There were positives from being on the show – like PAs, money, clothing deals.

'But that doesn’t last long, and when the next series started and it dried up nine months later, it all hit me.'

Zara has also lashed out at the show’s aftercare – particularly following the death of her friend Sophie Gradon, who took her own life after battling depression.

She told Closer, '[The producers] made a hell of a lot of money out of us all, but they couldn’t find time to check whether we were doing OK.

'In the end, I got therapy and help through my GP and did it all myself.

'It’s great that the show has since re-evaluated their aftercare system, but it’s a shame that it had to take two tragic events for them to do so. They were effectively putting people’s lives in danger and mental health at risk, all for the sake of good TV.'

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