Dancing On Ice star Matt Evers has spoken about the support system at ITV, who have now introduced a greater care system to help those who may need mental health support.
The professional who is gearing up to compete in the glitzy skating competition with celeb partner Denise Van Outen has currently moved in with the West End star in order to form a social bubble.
While addressing former Love Island host Caroline Flack, who tragically took her own life in February this year, Matt said she was “part of the ITV family”.
Speaking about the support offered by the broadcasting company, he added: “Now more than ever we have a lot of support.”
Matt Evers says ITV bosses have introduced more mental health support (Image: Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)
Matt, 44, went on to say: “We’ve always had a little bit of support, but through the tragedies that have happened, they have implemented a lot more mental support.”
American-born Matt claimed that professional skaters become “a best friend, babysitter and psychologist” to their celebrity partners and their relatives, reports The Mirror.
The move comes after three members of the Love Island family took their own lives, series two star Sophie Gradon died in June 2018, followed by the death of Mike Thalassitis, less than a year later.
Further support was introduced following the death of former ITV presenter, Caroline Flack (Image: PA)
It was recently announced that broadcasting watchdog Ofcom had launched an investigation into the welfare of reality contestants and those who appear on television.
Their report stated that production companies and broadcasters must offer better protection.
“In recent years we have also seen a steady rise in complaints about the welfare of people taking part in programmes,” their report stated.
Ofcom launched an investigation into the welfare support following the deaths of Mike Thalassitis, Sophie Gradon and Caroline Flack (Image: PA)
It went on to say: “Under these new rules, people taking part in programmes must also be informed about any potential welfare risks that might arise from their participation, and any steps the broadcaster or programme-maker intends to take to mitigate them.
“Treatment of people who appear to be put at risk of significant harm as a result of taking part in a programme is now included as an explicit example of material that might cause offence to audiences.”
Director of Standards and Audience Protection at Ofcom, Adam Baxter added: “People taking part in TV and radio programmes deserve to be properly looked after.
“Our new protections set a clear standard of care for broadcasters to meet – striking a careful balance between broadcasters’ creative freedom and the welfare of the people they feature.”
For emotional support, you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
