Zara Holland has claimed her stint on ‘Love Island’ will "haunt" her for the rest of her life.
The 22-year-old model appeared on the dating show back in 2016 but her time in the villa was overshadowed by a dark cloud when she was stripped of her Miss Great Britain title after she performed a sex act on her co-star Alex Bowen on national television.
And the blonde bombshell has claimed she’s still dealing with the consequences of her actions and she was appalled that no one from the show bothered to check in on her until recently when it emerged that her co-star Sophie Gradon had died in an apparent suicide.
Speaking to The Sun Online, she said: "I changed as a person. I didn’t want to go out or socialise. I came out of Love Island and they didn’t contact me.
"I didn’t hear from anyone. ‘Love Island’ called me for the first time in two years on Thursday to ask if I was OK. Funny they call me now when something terrible has happened. People applying need to know how serious things can be.
"They see a claim to fame, they don’t see that in ten years’ time, when you’re married with babies, you’ll still be haunted for the rest of your life."
Zara’s anxiety was so bad when she left the villa that she was put on anti-depressants and she has admitted she still doesn’t feel ready to stop the medication.
She explained: "I was upset all the time and couldn’t stop crying. I was having bad anxiety too. I had this shame and guilt I couldn’t get over."
However, a show source has insisted that those who are chosen to appear on the show are made aware of the impact the series could have on their lives in the future.
The insider said: "Zara already had management before and after she left the villa and we were in constant contact with her representation throughout the process and in the months after she left the villa. All islanders are offered psychological support before, during and after their stay in the villa, and in the event that a former Islander was struggling and came to us for help we would do our best to provide this."
Zara isn’t the first contestant to lash out at the show for their alleged lack of support as Malin Andersson – who also appeared in the 2016 series – believes they are to blame for Sophie’s tragic death because they didn’t support her through her then new-found fame.
But ITV2 has said in a statement: "All islanders are offered psychological support before, during and after their time in the villa. We take our duty of care very seriously."
Zara Holland will be ‘haunted’ by Love Island for the rest of her life
