Love Island pays tribute to Sophie Gradon on one-year anniversary of her death

'Missed but never forgotten'

(Rex Features)

Love Island has paid tribute to Sophie Gradon on the one-year anniversary of her death.

Gradon, who starred in the ITV2 reality programme in 2016, took her own life aged 32 at her home in Ponteland, Northumberland, an inquest into her death ruled.

The show’s bosses uploaded a photograph of Gradon on Love Island’s official Instagram page on Thursday alongside the caption: “In loving memory of Sophie Gradon (1985 – 2018), missed but never forgotten.”

While comments for the post have been disabled, more than 110,000 people have liked the post, including former islander, Montana Brown.

Gradon’s co-star, Malin Andersson, also paid her respects on her Instagram Story, writing: "RIP my beautiful soul. Love you and miss you so much.”

Three weeks after Gradon’s death, the reality TV star’s boyfriend, Aaron Armstrong, was found dead aged 25. A coroner later ruled that he had also taken his own life.

In March, Love Island star Mike Thalassitis died by suicide aged 26, with an inquest stating that the former footballer was found in a park in Enfield, north London.

The deaths prompted ITV to update its duty of care processes for participants on the show, following criticisms of insufficient aftercare.

At the time of the announcement, Richard Cowles, creative director of ITV Studios Entertainment, said: “Due to the success of the show our Islanders can find themselves in the public eye following their appearance.

"We really want to make sure they have given real consideration to this and what appearing on TV entails. Discussing all of this with us forms a big part of the casting process and, ultimately, their decision to take part.

"We are outlining today our welfare processes follow three key stages: pre-filming, filming and aftercare and we are increasing our post filming support to help Islanders following their time in villa."

The Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Committee has also launched an inquiry into reality TV, which comes after the deaths of Gradon, Thalassitis and The Jeremy Kyle Show participant Steve Dymond, whose death led to ITV axing the programme.

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