Love Island star Zara Holland has opened up her experience of being on the show, claiming she was ‘brainwashed’ by producers and that her appearance on the show ‘ruined’ her life.
She also called for the hit reality show to be axed following the deaths of Sophie Gradon and Mike Thalassitis.
Speaking of her time on the show, Zara told the Daily Mail: “You think you're on a summer holiday and you might find love, but you are in a posh prison where you don't know what time it is and a voice in a wall tells you what to do.
"I honestly believe I was brainwashed."
Zara was stripped of her Miss Great Britain title after having sex with fellow contestant Alex Bowen during her time on Love Island and was targeted by social media trolls when she left the villa.
She now takes anti-depressants and attends therapy sessions after suffering a series of panic attacks since appearing on the show.
Zara slammed the lack of aftercare provided by show bosses, claiming that they only contacted her twice – once when her fellow Islander Sophie Gradon took her own life and again when Mike Thalassitis died earlier this year – and that the psychological evaluation she had to take before entering the villa only took five minutes.
ITV deny both of these claims.
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1 of 6Series Two: Nathan Massey and Cara de la Hoyde
Nathan Massey and Cara de la Hoyde are the only Love Island winners to have remained together!Despite splitting for a number of months in 2017, the couple rekindled their romance when Cara discovered she was expecting the couple's first child.
2 of 6Series Two: Nathan Massey and Cara de la Hoyde
The couple later welcomed a baby boy called Freddie in December 2016. Sharing the happy news on social media, Nathan wrote: "The day has finally come!!!! Myself and @cara_delahoyde have become parents to our beautiful baby boy!!! Massive hats off to Cara who delivered our boy safely !!!!! #thenextchapter ud83dudc99ud83dudc76ud83cudffc"In July 2018, Cara and Nathan announced their engagement, with Nathan popping the question in the villa they first met.
3 of 6Series Two: Olivia Buckland and Alex Bowen
It took her a while, but Olivia Buckland finally found her man during Love Island season 2. After leaving the villa together when they finished in second place behind Cara and Nathan, the couple haven't looked back!
4 of 6Series Two: Olivia Buckland and Alex Bowen
Just a few months after leaving the famous villa, Alex popped the question to Olivia during a romantic trip to New York. The couple also became the first Love Island couple to get married!
5 of 6Series Three: Dom Lever and Jess Shears
Despite the public thinking their relationship was just a 'joke', Jess Shears and Dom Lever have defied the odds and are one of the two couples still together from last year's Love Island**.** Despite all of the drama with Jess and 'Muggy Mike', Dom proposed to his girlfriend in September 2016.
6 of 6Series Three: Dom Lever and Jess Shears
The couple have cashed in on promotional shoots together, appearances, and even got 'married' on Good Morning Britain on Valentine's Day. Despite the 'fake wedding', Jess and Dom then tied the knot for real in 2018, when they married at a private ceremony on the Greek island of Mykonos.
“That show screwed me up. I blame it for everything. What it does to the contestants is terrible,” Zara said.
She called for Love Island to be cancelled alongside The Jeremy Kyle Show, which was axed last week following the death of 63-year-old Steve Dymond who passed away from a drug overdose 10 days after he failed a lie detector test on the show.
“There have already been two suicides in three series. Jeremy Kyle's been on for 14 years, but they're axing it after one suicide,” Zara fumed.
“How can they contradict themselves by taking one show off and not the other? Am I angry? I'm absolutely fuming. I was only 20."
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The fifth series of Love Island is set to begin in June and Zara admitted that she is concerned for future contestants.
“I know a girl who’s going on. I’ve tried to persuade her not to go. I honestly fear for all the contestants,” she added.
In response to Zara’s claims, ITV issued a statement, which read: “Zara has spoken to the production team regularly since leaving the villa and has recently been in contact to put forward suggestions for cast for this year’s series.
“Prior to going on the show Zara like the other Islanders were given medical appraisals that included psychological assessments.
“The opinions the Islanders have, decisions they make and the relationships formed are completely within the control of the Islanders themselves. It is always our intention to produce a show that is a fair and accurate representation of life in the villa."