Love Island: 'Misleading' Casa Amor episode sparks 4,330 complaints

The seventh series of Love Island has been running since late June

A recent episode of ITV's Love Island prompted 4,330 complaints to regulator Ofcom, a record for the current series.

Most of those viewers said a postcard sent to female contestants during Casa Amor week, which appeared to show partners cheating, was misleading and caused unnecessary distress.

The week places male and female contestants in separate villas with the chance to be unfaithful.

Ofcom said it was assessing whether to launch an investigation.

The 4,330 complaints were about the episode on 28 July, and the broadcasting regulator said the majority related to the impact of the Casa Amor postcard on contestants.

A staple of the ITV2 show, the card twist promises high drama as islanders receive evidence of supposed transgressions involving new recruits from the other villa.

But the images frequently lack context and, received days before their original island partners return, can prompt contestants to act rashly under false pretences by cheating in response.

The 28 July episode attracted four times the previous highest number of complaints about a single episode so far this series, which started in late June.

'Manipulation'

The following day, there were 103 further complaints, including 56 about the ongoing fallout from this year's Casa Amor postcard.

This included Faye Winter being duped into believing her partner Teddy Soares had been persistently unfaithful, leading her to hook up with new Casa Amor entrant Sam Jackson in retaliation.

There were 699 more complaints about the July 30 episode, of which 682 cited the "manipulation" of the couple, who have since got back together.

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And there were 117 complaints about the 1 August instalment, of which 95 related to the treatment of Millie Court after her split from Liam Reardon.

The postcard also led Kaz Kamwi to separate from Tyler Cruickshank.

The impact of fame on the mental health of Love Island contestants and the aftercare offered to them has come under increased scrutiny in recent years.

ITV introduced revised duty of care protocols this year, including training islanders on how to handle the "potential negativity" of social media.