Peter Andre says all reality shows should be scrapped after ‘The Jeremy Kyle Show’ was axed.
Last month, ITV chief executive Carolyn McCall announced that after 14 years, the talk show had been cancelled following the death of one of its guests, and the 46-year-old singer – who also alleged that shows like ‘The Voice’ and ‘X Factor’ could have a negative impact on some contestants – feels in light of the programme being taken off air; broadcasters need to go "go across the board" and remove all shows which have a "reality side".
In an interview with The Guardian, he said: "It is the most horrific thing that somebody took their own life, we cannot forget that. What I do think is if they are taking that show off, they should be taking a lot of shows off.
"Any show where there is a reality side. I think they’re all great shows in their own way, but what about the people who have left ‘The Voice’ or ‘The X Factor’ who have been devastated because they’ve been told they’re rubbish, and it drives them to drink?
"You’ve got to go across the board if you’re going to do this. You can’t single out."
The ‘Mysterious Girl’ hitmaker went on to insist there needs to be a "duty of care" across all television networks and highlighted ‘Love Island’ as an example following the deaths of former participants Sophie Gradon, 32, and Mike Thalassitis, 26, both of whom took their own lives after appearing on the show.
He added: "I thought: what about all these other shows – ‘Love Island’, for example – where people have died?
"They were attacking Jeremy Kyle because his name is attached to the show. There has to be a duty of care across the networks. It’s not just one person or one show.
"Look at a guy like Mike Thalassitis, I only met him once or twice, Greek guy, 26 years old, looked in peak condition, good-looking guy, and he went and took his own life because of mental health. Twenty-six years old!"
Following the deaths of Mike and Sophie, ‘Love Island’ fell under scrutiny for its aftercare programme, prompting producers to bring in new plans for the current series.
ITV have revealed there will be more detailed conversations with potential Islanders regarding the impact of participation on the show, and bespoke training for all Islanders on social media and financial management, which extends support to all Islanders following their participation.
Peter Andre calls for all reality shows to be scrapped
