Dr Alex George believes ‘some’ Love Islanders are ‘unfairly tarnished’

Love Island‘s break-out star Dr Alex George has insisted being on the ITV2 show can ‘tarnish’ you ‘unfairly’ and that many of the stars ‘try to do their best’.

Many former reality stars have been slammed across the pandemic for fleeing to sunnier climes and flaunting their beach-going escapades in the faces of their followers, while everyone else is stuck in lockdown.

But Alex, 30, says some of the stars aren’t worthy of criticism.

Tarnished: Love Island’s break-out star Dr Alex George has insisted being on the ITV2 show can ‘tarnish’ you ‘unfairly’ and that many of the stars ‘try to do their best’

‘I think there’s this tarnished thing of what an islander would be and is and all this stuff, and I think sometimes that’s unfair,’ he told Metro. ‘There’s a lot of people trying to do their best.’

He referenced Camilla Thurlow, who appeared on the show a year before Alex.

Camilla worked for charity The Halo Trust and has written a memoir, Not The Type, about female empowerment. She has also taken on a lot of charity work after Love Island, including advocating aid for refugees and traveling to Cambodia to help build a school.

She even met activist and Hollywood powerhouse Angelina Jolie.

Settting an example: He referenced Camilla Thurlow, who appeared on the show a year before Alex

Settting an example: He referenced Camilla Thurlow, who appeared on the show a year before Alex

Having fun? Many former reality stars have been slammed across the pandemic for fleeing to sunnier climes and flaunting their beach-going escapades in the faces of their followers, while everyone else is stuck in lockdown [pictured Montana Brown]

Having fun? Many former reality stars have been slammed across the pandemic for fleeing to sunnier climes and flaunting their beach-going escapades in the faces of their followers, while everyone else is stuck in lockdown [pictured Montana Brown]

‘Look at Camilla, and the way she has behaved afterwards,’ Alex went on. ‘There are a lot of people out there who are trying to be positive influences after the show. To assume that everyone only cares about making a quick buck I think is quite unfair.

‘I do think if you do go on Love Island you’ve got to bear those kinds of things in mind, and the challenges that come with that.

‘I think we probably should be a little bit fair and treat people as individuals rather than broad strokes. You’ve got to treat people as individual people.’

Alex has recently been appointed the government’s Youth Mental Health ambassador by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and joined forced with ITV show Lorraine – all in the wake of his younger brother Llŷr’s tragic suicide in 2020. 

Good work: Camilla worked for charity The Halo Trust and has written a memoir, Not The Type, about female empowerment. She has also taken on a lot of charity work after Love Island, including advocating aid for refugees and traveling to Cambodia to help build a school

Good work: Camilla worked for charity The Halo Trust and has written a memoir, Not The Type, about female empowerment. She has also taken on a lot of charity work after Love Island, including advocating aid for refugees and traveling to Cambodia to help build a school

Icon: She even met activist and Hollywood powerhouse Angelina Jolie

Icon: She even met activist and Hollywood powerhouse Angelina Jolie

Lorraine’s HEADucation initiative aims to help schools recognise children’s mental health, understand the support available and be able to spot the early signs of any problems before they develop into more serious issues.

As part of the campaign, he said of his personal challenges last year: ‘It’s been hard, hasn’t it? It was so leftfield. I dealt with the break up of my relationship, being on my own for most of the year and the challenges that’s brought.

‘Then all the work stuff and all the challenges that brought too and [Llŷr’s death] was so leftfield and so unexpected. It just swipes you from your knees really. It was very, very hard. It’s a huge challenge.

‘I’ve learnt this year that I’m a lot more resilient than I ever thought I was. I’ve dealt with a lot more than I ever possibly thought I could deal with. But grief is on-going. You never get over losing a little brother. What I’m doing is trying to do something positive.’

Accomplished: Alex has recently been appointed the government's Youth Mental Health ambassador by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and joined forced with ITV show Lorraine - all in the wake of his younger brother Llŷr's tragic suicide in 2020

Accomplished: Alex has recently been appointed the government’s Youth Mental Health ambassador by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and joined forced with ITV show Lorraine – all in the wake of his younger brother Llŷr’s tragic suicide in 2020

Discussing HEADucation, he said: ‘I’ve heard a lot from parents, teachers and students worried about how the pandemic had such an impact on the mental health of young people.

‘These are real worries, and highlight why our mission with HEADucation is so important. With schools reopening, support for the transition back into the classroom is vital. Never has mental health been as important as it is now.’

He was also sure to insist that there is ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ following the PM’s latest plan for the end of lockdown announcement, and branded Covid skeptics as ‘disrespectful’.

‘It’s been an unusual year, everything has changed for everyone really no matter what you do or where you live, Covid has impacted on your life,’ he mused. ‘We all hoped it would be a few months and then it became apparent it would be much longer than that and it is difficult.

‘We hoped 2021 would see the back of it but it’s quite obvious now that although there is clear light at the end of the tunnel, and I think we are really making progress but it’s going to take time. Our viewers have been on this journey with us and seen these challenges.

Advocate: Lorraine's HEADucation initiative aims to help schools recognise children’s mental health, understand the support available and be able to spot the early signs of any problems before they develop into more serious issues

Advocate: Lorraine’s HEADucation initiative aims to help schools recognise children’s mental health, understand the support available and be able to spot the early signs of any problems before they develop into more serious issues

He said: 'I think there’s this tarnished thing of what an islander would be and is and all this stuff, and I think sometimes that’s unfair. There’s a lot of people trying to do their best'

He said: ‘I think there’s this tarnished thing of what an islander would be and is and all this stuff, and I think sometimes that’s unfair. There’s a lot of people trying to do their best’

‘[Being skeptical of Covid is] disrespectful to the people who have died, to the families of those who have died, to the doctors and nurses who have worked tirelessly to save lives. It’s so ignorant to the reality.

‘In some ways, you wish they could spend some time and see what you are seeing and they would certainly have a very different view if they could do that.

‘In the world we live in we can’t do that, so we have to accept that but most people understand what is going on and that keeps me positive.’

Lorraine airs weekdays on ITV from 9AM and is available on the ITV Hub.  

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