Caroline Flack has defended Love Island following the deaths of two former contestants, saying negative headlines about the show made her “angry”.
The programme, which is about to return to TV screens, has faced increased scrutiny since the deaths of Sophie Gradon and Mike Thalassitis.
Flack said of media criticism: “It’s dangerous and I’m really, really angry.
“It’s not just that you’re blaming a TV show, you’re blaming people and their jobs.”
She told Cosmopolitan magazine: “In life, we all have a duty of care to look out for each other, but I don’t think it’s fair to point fingers of blame.
“This is a much bigger issue than just a reality TV show, and when something this bad happens… when something this horrible and sad occurs, it’s so dangerous to point fingers within hours and minutes of it happening.
“None of us know what’s going through someone’s mind and we can’t sit there and speculate.
“It’s time to think about the bigger picture, about what’s going on with young men and young people and the pressures of modern life. It’s just too sad and too sensitive to talk about.”
The dating reality show returns to ITV2 on Monday, against a backdrop of some calls for it to be dropped.
ITV recently announced an enhanced duty of care process, including a minimum of eight therapy sessions for contestants.
Flack also spoke about her personal life and her split from ex-fiance Andrew Brady.
She said: “(I’m) getting back on the horse. I’ve been dating and really enjoying it.
“I’ve decided to give people a chance, go and date and have some fun with it. There doesn’t always have to be an end goal.
“You can’t look on broken relationships as failures. Being engaged was the best feeling in the world… We had a wonderful year but it didn’t work out.”
The presenter also vowed to stop putting her love life on Instagram, adding: “It’s nice to celebrate how you feel at a particular time, but don’t get carried away.
“This time last year I was planning a wedding. Did it happen? No.”
Flack denied she was dating her personal trainer Bradley Simmonds, saying: “I wouldn’t want to ruin it because he’s the best thing. He’s the only constant in my life right now.”
The July issue of Cosmopolitan is on sale from May 31.
