The family of Love Island star Chloe Burrows say she has been bombarded with death threats following the elimination of Shannon Singh from the show.
In scenes that aired on Wednesday night, Chloe chose to recouple with Aaron Francis, leaving Shannon single.
The contestants were subsequently informed that Shannon would be dumped from the show as a result.
The family of marketing executive Chloe, 25, said they have been horrified by the abuse this has sparked on social media.
Writing on her Instagram story, a statement from her friends and family said: “We hate to introduce ourselves under such vile circumstances but we’ve had enough after just 3 episodes.
It's safe to say Shannon's exit has shocked the Islanders 😲 #LoveIsland pic.twitter.com/bkpk84WkxG
— Love Island (@LoveIsland) June 30, 2021
“We all have thick skin but the amount of trolling Chloe has been receiving is absolutely disgusting.
“This morning we woke up to yet another DM (see next story) encouraging Chloe to kill herself – there have been HUNDREDS.”
Referring to the deaths of former contestants Sophie Gradon, who was found dead aged 32 in June 2018; Mike Thalassitis, who took his own life in March 2019 aged 26; and show host Caroline Flack, who took her own life at the age of 40 last year, the statement added: “Have the deaths of Sophie, Mike, and Caroline taught us nothing?
“Not only that, but people are flooding her inbox threatening to kill her themselves. People… this is a GAME show, there is a cash prize!
“We understand the frustration surrounding @shannonsinghh’s eviction – we feel it too!
“She didn’t deserve to leave so early but Chloe does not deserve to DIE because Shannon had to leave the villa! She will have had no idea of the repercussions of her decisions prior to making it.
“We are not naive. We know that this post won’t put an end to trolling.
“All the advice we get is to ‘ignore it’ and ‘block the trolls’, sometimes it’s not that easy. Our hope is that this just reminds some of you #BeKind x.”
Ahead of the return of the series, ITV published its duty of care protocols for contestants, who will be offered a minimum of eight therapy sessions on their return home and will also receive training on the impact of social media and “how to handle potential negativity”, as well as training on financial management.
Among the processes detailed for all contributors on Love Island are “comprehensive psychological support”, “detailed conversations on the impact of participation on the show” and a “proactive aftercare package”, ITV said.