Entertainment
Dr Alex George hopes for ‘better diversity’ on Love Island 2021 as he discusses new role on ITV mental health advisory board
Former Love Island star Dr Alex George has opened up about his new role on ITV’s mental health advisory board as he expresses his hope for ‘better diversity’ on the 2021 show, which is expected to air this summer.
Earlier this year, it was announced that Dr Alex, 30, had been appointed Ambassador for Mental Health, a position that involves advising the government on young people’s mental wellbeing.
The NHS worker, who appeared on the fourth series of Love Island in 2018, is now also a part of ITV’s mental health advisory group, a board that was created in October 2019 with the aim of advising the broadcaster on the mental health and wellbeing of people behind and in front of the camera on TV programmes.
The physician detailed what his role entails during an episode of Susannah Constantine’s podcast My Wardrobe Malfunction, which will be available to listen to on Sunday May 16.
During his appearance on the podcast, he said: ‘I actually sit on the board now the mental health board advisory board for ITV.
‘A lot of the thoughts now moving forward are around how can we promote better mental wellbeing not just on the show but for people watching it.’
Dr Alex emphasised that TV and reality programmes ‘can actually have an impact on people’s mental health’, adding that this can happen ‘in a positive way’.
‘It’s considering who you’re putting on there. Are they prepared for that? What messages are we giving to people? Are we representing the body image, the diversity that we have in the UK on screen, you know, those kind of things,’ he stated.
The doctor remarked that he is ‘interested’ to see who will enter the Love Island villa this year.
‘I suspect we might see a better diversity I hope in all sorts of ways on the show this year. But let’s see,’ he said.
In July last year, Dr Alex’s younger brother, Llŷr, died at the age of 19, with the reality star writing at the time: ‘I have lost my beautiful little brother to mental health.’
Speaking about his brother’s death on the My Wardrobe Malfunction podcast, Dr Alex stated: ‘It’s an ongoing tough time’, explaining: ‘You never get over it, do you? How can you?’
He added that he’s ‘learned to live with it, in some ways’, saying that while it is ‘still very early’, he feels that he is ‘at a place now where I’m able to kind of see that, you know, I can have a life after this’.
Love Island 2021 is expected to begin this summer.
Metro.co.uk MHAW Takeover
This year, to mark Mental Health Awareness Week, Metro.co.uk has invited eight well-known mental health advocates to take over our site.
With a brilliant team that includes Alex Beresford, Russell Kane, Frankie Bridge, Anton Ferdinand, Sam Thompson, Scarlett Moffatt, Katie Piper and Joe Tracini, each of our guest editors have worked closely with us to share their own stories, and also educate, support and engage with our readers.
If you need help or advice for any mental health matter, here are just some of the organisations that were vital in helping us put together our MHAW Takeover:
To contact any of the charities mentioned in the Metro.co.uk MHAW Takeover click here
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