Mike Thalassitis’ Love Island pal Jonny Mitchell gets over 61,000 signatures on petition calling for ITV bosses to protect stars from ‘toxic’ reality TV
JONNY Mitchell has started a new petition to encourage Love Island bosses to protect their cast after two contestants have died in the last nine months.
The 28-year-old star has decided to take action after his friend Mike Thalassitis took his own life over the weekend.
Within 18 hours Jonny's petition, , has racked up over 60,000 signatures - nearly reaching his target of 75,000.
Jonny - who competed in the 2017 ITV2 series with the late footballer - has slammed the dating show as "toxic" after Mike's suicide and Sophie Gradon's suspected suicide in June last year.
He hopes the petition will encourage the show to put a "new duty of care" in place.
The petition reads: "When I found out this weekend that he had taken his own life I was utterly heartbroken.
"In the space of a year, two Love Island contestants have been in such a dark place that they’ve felt it necessary to take their own lives. Aside from that I know many, many more people who have also struggled with depression following on from the show.
"I think it’s time to wake up and see that the way this industry operates is toxic and it costs lives. That’s why I’m calling on ITV Studios for a new duty of care for show contestants going on Love Island - and for other reality shows to follow too."
Jonny wants the show to discuss the risks with those who sign up to find love on the programme, explain all of the "negatives" about the media, but most importantly, put a thorough aftercare system in place.
The petition continued: "These reality shows need to be held accountable for the way they operate and for falsely over-glamourising something to make it more appealing to kids who don’t know any better.
"They are not providing a clear enough picture of the risks involved. They need to start fully explaining the negatives of entering this world, they need to stop falsely portraying people through how they edit in order to make their show more entertaining, as once the show’s over, the person who they portrayed negatively has to deal with the backlash from the public.
"There needs to be a compulsory set-out aftercare scheme in place for people who are going on reality TV shows."
Jonny has admitted he met with a health expert prior to entering the villa, but there is "no help" post show.
He added: "I remember having to meet the show psychologist twice before filming started and there was always a high amount of interest around my mental health from the producers (because obviously they don’t want to risk someone having a meltdown on the show).
"But after the filming stops you have no help or aftercare to help you cope with the world waiting for you."
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, , 0800 585 858
- Heads Together,
- Mind, , 0300 123 3393
- Papyrus,, 0800 068 41 41
- Samaritans, , 116 123
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Jonny claimed he had been trolled "more" after he left the villa, though it "never fazed" him he believed the same ordeal could encourage some people to take their life.
He went on: "I probably got trolled more than most coming off Love Island and luckily it never fazed me, but not once did I get any contact from the show asking me if I needed any help dealing with any of it.
"Some people are seriously sad and animalistic enough to push some people to the point where they actually kill themselves."
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