Mental health has been a key theme of the series, with islanders being relentlessly bullied on social media.
The online hate reached a level so bad that the show had to air a statement during one episode saying: “The keyword in Love Island is… Love. We love our fans. We love our Islanders. We don’t love cyberbullying, harassment or hate.”
One islander, Cierra Ortega, shared some of the abuse she’d received online as the final aired on Sunday, which included death and rape threats as well as messages threatening to call ICE [US Immigration and Customs Enforcement] on her and her family.
Cierra, who spent most of the series coupled up with finalist Nic, left the villa a week before the final after a post resurfaced where she’d used a derogatory term for Chinese people.
The content creator from LA, who is of Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage, later apologised, and said the fallout had been “very hard to deal with”.
Love Island says it offers islanders support before, during and after the show and continues to adapt its offering as needed.