Calum Best calls for Love Island bosses to ‘make sure islanders’ minds are right’ (Picture: WireImage)

Calum Best has suggested that ITV ‘need to make sure there is support and monitoring’ for all Love Island hopefuls when they leave the villa.

His comments come weeks after the death of 2016 islander Sophie Gradon whom Calum was friends with.

Speaking in the months after she left the villa, she admitted that she had ‘descended into quite a dark, dark place owing to the amount of negativity focused towards me’ from online trolls.

And now Calum, who won the show in 2006 when it featured celebrities, has told Metro.co.uk that there needs to be more focus on mental health support.


Love Island paid tribute to Sophie Gradon (Picture: ITV)

‘I think that realistically, without getting too full on – because it is just a reality show and a lot of people are having fun – but… a friend of mine passed recently, Sophie Gradon, and she did the show as well, and it really made me think that as much as fun as the show can be living on an island in sunshine, people need to make sure that people’s minds are right,’ he said.



‘Whether that’s viewers or the people on the show, we need to make sure there is support and monitoring.’

ITV told Metro.co.uk: ‘All of our islanders are offered psychological support before, during and after their time in the villa. We take our duty of care very seriously and this is always our top priority.’

Calum Best appeared in the original Love Island series in 2005 and 2006 (Picture: ITV)

In 2017 Calum launched his Best Me Life mindfulness business, which included a daily journal that offers the chance for people to over procrastination ‘and become more productive, three months at a time’.

He admits that it’s hard for people to understand his new life ‘when I come from this weird tabloid background’ but he has spent nearly the last decade on personal development; he now uses manifestation, meditation, exercise and setting goals in his daily life.

Calum’s books are available from NSPCC (Picture: NSPCC)

As part of his next step though ,he is now launching a ‘buddy’ journal – aimed at children aged 7-14 years old – which promotes positive mindful practice for kids and encourage them to write down their achievements and goals.

And the 37-year-old admits that he looked back at his own childhood – Calum is the only son of model Angie Best and the late footballer George Best – to consider what advice he would have wanted growing up.

George Best with his young son Calum in 1982 (Picture; Rex)

‘I didn’t know where to look then, and it’s not a sob story it’s just realistically if we think there is a stigma now around talking about it, 20 years ago there was nobody even thinking about it,’ he says.

‘I know my parents, especially my old man, an old-school Irish man, he didn’t want anything to do with emotions so it led to me being the same. I was quite stubborn and I said “I’ll keep this inside” and all that really did was… it eats away at you and it turned me down a dark road and I didn’t know how to express myself.

‘I masked a lot of the anger and pain and all the stuff I was going through and I started drinking, and I don’t want to get into that, but for me it was, I realised how to better myself and come away from the bad side by talking about the problems and knowing there are other people out there.’

‘This journal is a great tool for parents to look and see what’s going on in their kids minds,’ says Calum (Picture: NSPCC)

‘This journal is a great tool for parents to look and see what’s going on in their kids minds,’ he adds.

‘We have laid out a base for kids to write down what they’re thoughtful of that day, what they did to make someone else happy, who they love, their health, and the journal is quite a soft tool – it’s not as hardcore as discussing [openly] self-harm or suicide – so the journal is so that once the children have written out their thoughts, the parents can see, “oh they’re happy here but struggling there”, and that can help them openly talk to their kids.’

Calum Best and Angie Best in 2018 (Picture; Rex)

But he believes the most important thing a parent can do is to listen.



‘I had a mum who was cool and open and understanding, and let me know any time I want to talk she was there and I think a lot of parents should do the same thing,’ he concludes.

Calum Best has teamed up with the NSPCC and Childline to raise awareness of his Best Me Buddy journal which helps young people practice mindfulness.

Childline is the UK’s free 24-hour helpline 0800 11 11

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