Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.
Members of the public have rushed to the defence of a Love Island contestant in recent days after cruel trolls attacked her online.
Nicole Samuel is one of the 12 hopeful singles starring in the latest season of Love Island, the reality TV dating show presented by Maya Jama.
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The brand new season is returning to our screens tonight (3 June) at 9pm on ITV2 and ITVX.
The contestants will hope to forge romantic connections with one another in a bid to be the villa's strongest couple and win the £50,000 cash prize.
It has been reported that this year's villa in Majorca is the best yet, and there will be a huge Hideaway twist, in that couples may go there for some alone time whenever they wish.
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In previous seasons, they had to be invited there by producers or nominated by fellow Islanders.
The line up was announced by ITV on 27 May, and despite there being a focus on the mental health of the cast after devastating suicides of previous cast members, some trolls have disregarded this and began making cruel comments about some of the contestants.
The original presenter of Love Island, Caroline Flack, tragically took her own life in 2020. Season two contestant Sophie Gradon died by suicide in 2018, and season three contestant Mike Thalassitis died in the same manner in 2019.
After other contestants spoke out about the effect trolling had on their mental health, Love Island began imposing a 'social media ban' in 2023 as part of its duty of care, which means family members or friends cannot post on social media on behalf of the Islanders in a bid to limit online vitriol.
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A spokesperson for ITV told BBC that this choice was part of its 'continued commitment to duty of care'.
They continued: "Islanders participating in the forthcoming eleventh series of Love Island will again be asked to pause their social media accounts."
While producers are doing what they can to protect the Islanders, it seems others are ignoring this entirely and attacking contestants.
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When the line up was announced, Nicole was seemingly the target of a lot of the hatred.
In her promotional video tape, Nicole says she is a 24-year-old Accounts Manager from Aberdare, Wales, and is ready to find 'the one'.
She adds: "I’ve been enjoying single life and the attention of different boys, it’s fun.
"I’ve enjoyed being able to go on holiday with the girls and not having to worry about someone back home.
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"All the girls are there texting in their room and I’m out till 4 in the morning living my best life."
Trolls took it upon themselves to attack her looks, claiming she looks much older than she is.
However, restoring faith in humanity, many others leapt to Nicole's defence.
One said: "Did this girl do something bad cos the way yall are so comfortable being this mean about her looks is kinda concerning like she’s not a made up person. She & her family will read these and she’s not even been on tv yet."
Another added: "These comments! ! Be kind!"
We think she looks beautiful and can't wait to watch her Love Island journey.
Love Island begins tonight at 9pm on on ITV1, ITV2 and ITVX.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, please don’t suffer alone. Call Samaritans for free on their anonymous 24-hour phone line on 116 123.
Topics: Love Island, Social Media, Reality TV
Kya Buller