Sophie Gradon’s mum blasts ITV chief executive as ‘evil’
Sophie Gradon’s mum blasts ITV chief executive as ‘evil’ and says daughter ‘sold her soul’ to the broadcaster after boss claimed it was ‘strange’ to link Love Island to her death
- Deborah Gradon has slammed Love Island boss Carolyn McCall for her ‘haughtily placed remarks’ in an open letter
- Carolyn, 57, made her comments as it was revealed dating show would run for two series
- She said both Mind and Samaritans have warned the public not to ‘simplify links’
- Said show is ‘entertaining but it’s also about the ups and downs of relationships’
- The show has been viewed by more than six million people at its peak this year
Sophie Gradon’s grieving mother has blasted the chief executive of ITV as ‘evil’ in an open letter, after the Love Island boss said it was ‘strange’ to link the dating series to the reality star’s death.
Deborah Gradon claimed Sophie – who hanged herself in June last year aged 32 – ‘sold her soul’ to the broadcaster, and admitted she was ‘abhorred’ by the comments made by CEO Dame Carolyn McCall last week.
Dame Carolyn, 57, said the public ‘shouldn’t simplify’ links between Sophie’s passing and the reality show, but Deborah has since slammed the boss for her ‘hypocrisy’ and ‘haughtily placed remarks’ as she continues to mourn the death of her daughter.
Grieving: Sophie Gradon’s mother Deborah has blasted the chief executive of ITV as ‘evil’ in an open letter following her daughter’s tragic passing in June 2018
Deborah told The Sun: ‘How dare you try to trivialise and belittle the deaths of our beloved children. To try and exercise some right of removal from the show, is principally evil.
‘As a Mother yourself, I hope your hypocrisy and haughtily placed remarks sit well with your conscience.
”In my beautiful darling daughter’s own words: “I sold my soul to ITV”’, the grieving parent added in the heart-wrenching open letter.
She also claimed ITV ‘belittled’ and ‘trivialised’ the death of her daughter – who was ‘desperately unhappy’ on the show and made four requests to leave during her 2016 stint.
Candid: The grieving parent claimed Sophie – who hanged herself in June last year aged 32 – ‘sold her soul’ to the broadcaster (pictured on the show in June 2016)
Speaking out: Deborah slammed CEO Dame Carolyn McCall, 57, for her ‘hypocrisy’ and ‘haughtily placed remarks’ as she continues to mourn the death of her daughter (pictured in 2017)
Deborah alleges the former beauty pageant queen was given a ‘piteous’ 10-minute Skype chat with a counsellor when she sought help for her anxiety, which was at an ‘unprecedented level’ by the time she left the series.
MailOnline has contacted ITV representatives for further comment.
Earlier this month, Carolyn spoke to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme as it was announced the show would run for two series next year.
The reality series, hosted by Caroline Flack, has been a money spinner and a ratings hit, viewed by more than six million people at its peak this year.
But it has come under intense scrutiny following the deaths of former contestants Sophie and Mike Thalassitis, 26, – with some criticising the show’s aftercare.
Dame Carolyn was asked why they’re creating more Love Island after The Jeremy Kyle Show was axed following ‘humiliated’ father, Steven Dymond’s, suspected suicide after appearing on the show with his former girlfriend.
She told the radio show that there were circumstances around it and a ‘select committee hearing’ for the former British talk show.
The axing of Jeremy Kyle Show came after Sophie and Mike’s tragic deaths in June 2018 and March 2019 following their appearances on Love Island.
Deaths: Earlier this month, Love Island boss and chief executive of ITV has said it’s ‘strange’ to link contestants Sophie Gradon and Mike Thalassitis’ deaths with the show (L-R)
Dame Carolyn explained: ‘It wasn’t about that particular thing, it was the circumstances around it.’
She added: ‘I also think that what happened on Love Island, tragic as it is for anyone who takes their life, it’s a terrible thing.
‘Mind and the Samaritans tell the public constantly not to simplify links, and I’m afraid that’s what media does.
‘The two contestants, who were very popular contestants – Sophie and Mike – there was nearly a two-year gap for each of them and they did lots and lots of other things after Love Island, so I think it’s a strange thing for you to bring up to be honest.’
Twice a year: The businesswoman also explained the decision to air two series a year of the ITV2 programme in 2020 during an appearance on BBC Radio 4’s Today show (current series pictured)
Dame Carolyn went on to explain the decision to provide counselling for the contestants on the show both during and after their appearance.
Questions: McCall was asked why they’re creating more Love Island after The Jeremy Kyle Show was axed following ‘humiliated’ father, Steven Dymond’s, suspected suicide after appearing on the show with his former girlfriend (Jeremy Kyle pictured in 2016)
She said: ‘It’s about fame or not getting fame. The thing about Love Island is that it’s a dating show. It is a modern-day dating show. If you watch it, it is entertaining, but it is also about the every-day ups and downs of relationships.’
‘Lots and lots of entertainment shows put counselling into what we offer contestants or participants,’ she added.
‘We offer that because we think it is important if you come out of a villa after eight weeks – you were living a very different life and you’re now coming out into the real world.
‘And adjusting to that real world can be quite difficult to some people, and that’s why we offer counselling or therapy.’
Dame Carolyn revealed that she watches Love Island every night and urged critics to watch the show before making a judgement.
She said: ‘I watch it every night, and they are also very kind and supportive and they discuss a lot of issues that a lot of people value because they are issues that happen in modern-day relationships. I think watch it, then make a judgement.’
Dame Carolyn discussed ITV’s decision to air a second series of Love Island a year, starting in 2020.
Caroline Flack, 39 – who has hosted the ITV2 dating show since its relaunch in 2015 – will be also fronting the brand new winter series, based in South Africa.
She explained: ‘It is obviously financially good, but it’s not the only show we make that is very strong for us.
Counselling: Dame Carolyn explained the decision to provide counselling for the contestants on the show both during and after their appearance (current series pictured)
Watch before judging: McCall went on to reveal that she watches Love Island every night and urged critics to watch the show before making a judgement (current series pictured)
‘We make a range of different shows and they’re both entertainment and factual and drama. We have four of the best dramas, in fact the top four best dramas this year were all ITV dramas.
‘Love Island is fantastic because everybody talks about it and it does draw in a very young audience – 16-34 audience loves Love Island and talks about it all the time.’
Heartbreaking: Sophie’s body was found at her home in Northumberland by her boyfriend Aaron Armstrong, who killed himself 20 days later (pictured in May 2009)
Mike, 26, who was on Love Island in 2017, was found dead in a park near his north London home in March.
Sophie, 32, who took part in 2016, died in June 2018 after struggling with depression.
Her body was found at her home in Ponteland, Northumberland, by her boyfriend Aaron Armstrong, who killed himself 20 days later.
Since the two stars’ tragic deaths, ITV has evolved its aftercare policy for Love Island contestants.
Bosses have promised to support the contestants’ families both before and after the show amid recent reality deaths.
The ITV2 show has written an extra clause in the stars’ contracts which vows to help the loved-ones of cast mates, as well as the contestants themselves.
In a statement, they wrote: ‘The production team have continued to evolve their processes with each series, as the show’s popularity has risen and the social and media attention on Islanders has increased.
Aftercare: Since the two stars’ tragic deaths, ITV has evolved its aftercare policy for Love Island contestants (late Love Island star Mike pictured in October 2018)
‘The key changes this year are – enhanced psychological support, more detailed conversations with potential Islanders regarding the impact of participation on the show, bespoke training for all Islanders on social media and financial management and a proactive aftercare package which extends our support to all Islanders following their participation.’
While a ITV representative told MailOnline: ‘We have always ensured that the families of Islanders have the contact details of key members of our production team and there is always an open line of communication.’
They added: ‘We have always offered support to families where appropriate and when requested.’
For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch, see www.samaritans.org for details.
LOVE ISLAND STATEMENT IN FULL
Everyone at Love Island is so shocked and absolutely devastated with the tragic news of Mike Thalassitis.
The Mike we knew was a remarkable and charismatic young man who made a huge impression both on the Love Island team and on viewers of the show. Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with his family and friends at this difficult time.
When something so awful happens it is natural to enter a period of soul searching and ask whether anything could have been done to help avoid something so terrible happening. It is not for us to speculate on the reasons behind this tragedy and what is so heartbreaking is that we simply cannot know.
Our show put Mike in the spotlight with all the ups and downs that brings. Mike’s TV career took off with Love Island and he went on to take part in other reality shows as his career grew.
Since the terrible news there have been a lot of people questioning Love Island’s processes and aftercare. Many of the things that have been said about them bear no relation to the support we offer. We want to outline our care processes.
As the show has grown ever more popular and our Islanders get increased attention in an ever changing landscape, each series we evolve the support we give them.
Our duty of care is a continuous and ongoing process for each Islander. This follows three key stages; pre-filming, filming, and aftercare. We work with both an independent GP and a psychological consultant to provide an assessment of the physical and mental health of each of the shortlisted cast members and their suitability for inclusion on the programme.
The medical team also contacts each Islander’s GP to check they feel that person is able to take part. We ask for full disclosure from potential cast members to these health professionals so that so that we can support them appropriately. As TV producers, we rely on medical experts to assess both mental and physical health to ensure that each candidate is suitable for inclusion.
Care continues whilst the Islanders are in the villa. We have a medical team on location which includes a psychological consultant. They not only look after Islanders’ healthcare needs, but also monitor them to check that there are no emerging signs of any problems developing whilst they are in the villa. Additionally, several of our senior team, who monitor the cast around the clock, have been trained in mental health first aid.
When the time comes for each Islander to leave the show, our aftercare process kicks in. Every Islander has a series of debrief meetings on location with the executive team and the medical team, including the psychological consultant. After this, they are told how to access after care support as well as information on seeking professional representation. They also meet with the press team the day after leaving the villa and are briefed and advised on their press coverage whilst in the villa.
We have had requests for help from former Islanders, and have provided this.
We have always recognised that this should be an evolving process and six months ago we engaged Dr Paul Litchfield, an experienced physician and a Chief Medical Officer, to independently review our medical processes on Love Island. He has extensive experience of working with large companies and Government in the area of mental health.
This review has led us to extend our support processes to offer therapy to all Islanders and not only those that reach out to us. And we will be delivering bespoke training to all future Islanders to include social media and financial management.
The key focus will be for us to no longer be reliant on the islanders asking us for support but for us to proactively check in with them on a regular basis.
Having said all of this about Love Island we must not lose sight of the wider issue which is the importance of the conversation on mental health. Across ITV we have worked with a number of charities including CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) on Project 84 and with Samaritans and CALM on Coronation Street, tackling the issue of male suicide.
Conversations about mental health have never been more important.
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