Former Love Island contestant Ellisha-Jade White has spoken to the Daily Mail to warn young women against pursuing reality TV fame, describing how her appearance on the show's third series in 2017 led to lasting psychological harm. Now 31, she says the experience triggered a debilitating battle with agoraphobia and that she struggled to rebuild a normal life after filming ended, arguing that production companies fail to prepare naive young contestants for the emotional aftermath of appearing on such programmes.

White was a 22-year-old marketing graduate hoping to work in broadcasting when ITV producers approached her in 2017, telling her, she claims, that the show would help launch her career and help her find love. While co-stars from the same series such as Olivia Attwood, Chris Hughes and Amber Davies went on to enjoy fame and success — as did later stars including Molly-Mae Hague and Maura Higgins — White says she was dumped, sent home with £200, and later devastated by the death of a co-star who took his own life. She claims she was used as a "guinea pig" for the show's now-infamous "Casa Amor" twist, and describes the reality-TV industry as a "meat-grinder" that leaves lasting damage.