Love Island's Zara McDermott to front revenge porn documentary for BBC Three

Former Love Island star Zara McDermott will front a new one-off BBC Three documentary about revenge porn.

A former victim herself, McDermott’s hour-long programme will investigate the motivations behind revenge porn and its repercussions.

McDermott shot to fame on Love Island in 2018, but discovered upon leaving the villa that nude photos of her had been shared online and gone viral.

A statement from BBC Three said the incident left McDermott “devastated and looking for answers”.

Zara McDermott (Getty Images)

“I feel passionate about helping other people in the situation I was in so I’ll be sharing my story in detail for the first time,” she said.

“Confronting issues head-on is the only way we can make change and I am putting my heart into this documentary in the hope that it will make people think twice about revenge porn.”

In an Instagram post, McDermott said she felt "humbled and honoured" to be making the documentary with the BBC and said that her "main aim is to bring awareness to this issue, and be a voice for those who have suffered in silence and to help make a change."

She added: "I am sharing my story and being my most vulnerable, emotional and raw.

"This has affected my life and me as a person tremendously, and for the first time I'm confident enough to properly speak out and share my story.

View this post on Instagram

ANNOUNCEMENT. Hi Everyone. Some of you may be aware that I have been a victim of Image Based Sexual Abuse, which is also known as Revenge Porn. For those of you who don’t know what this is, it’s basically when one person shares intimate images of videos of another person without their consent. I am really humbled and honoured to announce that the BBC and I are currently making a documentary to share my story. My main aim is to bring awareness to this issue, and be a voice for those who have suffered in silence and to help make a change. I am sharing my story and being my most vulnerable, emotional and raw. This has affected my life and me as a person tremendously, and for the first time I’m confident enough to properly speak out and share my story. I am nervous to share these intimate details with the world but I hope that it will only make positive change and lessen the blame on us victims. The documentary will be out in a few months time on @bbcthree. Thank you so much❤️

A post shared by Zara McDermott (@zara_mcdermott) on Mar 13, 2020 at 2:57am PDT

"I am nervous to share these intimate details with the world but I hope that it will only make positive change and lessen the blame on us victims."

Last year, experts revealed revenge porn laws were inadequate and that despite cases doubling in four years, the number of charges had dropped, according to the BBC.

The Times revealed last year that one in ten Britons had been victims of revenge porn, with women mostly targeted.

“With thousands of women across the country having faced injustices as a result of revenge porn, it’s more important than ever for BBC Three to be exploring this issue,” said BBC Three controller Fiona Campbell.

“We’re grateful to Zara for sharing her story with us and hope it will make a difference to young lives around the UK.”