Josh Denzel has accused Love Island bosses of throwing its young stars to "the lions' den" after they come out of the villa into the brand new world of reality celebrity.
The star of Love Island 2018 spoke out after Mike Thalassitis' apparent suicide, which came 18 months after he himself had found fame on the ITV2 show.
Speaking to GQ about the aftercare provided by Love Island producers, Josh said: "I do feel like you kind of get thrown into the lions' den and if you survive then you're just free to enter the world again.
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"But it's not the same and I think people need to understand that it's fleeting – the fame is fleeting."
The 28-year-old social media star, who presented for LadBible before getting cast in Love Island, admitted it's "hard" when opportunities start slowing down and said there should be more support in place for young TV stars.
"It's like, 'How do I transition to going back to just the guy or the girl that I was before?' I think there should be more concentration, more focus on that," he added.
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Josh urged other young men to "check on your boys" to make sure they're OK, as so many suffer in silence with their mental health.
"When the Mike news dropped, I must have had 20, 30 texts from boys that I know being like, 'Listen, just a little note that I'm always here for you. Like, if you ever get into a situation that you feel like that, you know I'm around.'
"It's so cool to know that people care and straight-up just want to look after you."
Former Love Island therapist says more needs to be done to protect contestants
In the wake of both Mike and Sophie Gradon's tragic deaths, Love Island bosses have announced a major shake-up to the way reality stars are treated before, during and after the show.
Each Islander will be offered therapy, along with debt management advice and social media training so they don't feel so overwhelmed when they leave the villa.
And more stringent pre-filming assessments will be put in place to ensure castmates are mentally and physically ready for the experience.
Mirror Online has contacted ITV for comment.
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