LOVE Island makes its welcome (for some) return this Monday - but never before has its bosses come under so much pressure before episode one has even aired.

I have written before in this column that I am a fan of the show as it provides the perfect escapism, and can be entertaining television to watch. But last year I also wrote that ITV bosses went too far in creating drama that wasn’t there, and playing with the contestants in trying to split solid couples up.

In this past year we have had the sad death of former contestant Mike Thalassitis, with his death following Sophie Gradon who killed herself after appearing on the show. Host Caroline Flack has told Cosmopolitan UK that it was unfair to point a finger of blame, adding mental health to be a “a much bigger issue than just a reality TV show.” She has a point in that the contestants' deaths came more than a year after they appeared on the show and I suspect it had more to do with dealing with the fame than the show itself. But, even so, everything should be done to ensure contestants have proper aftercare.

And to be fair to the bosses, ITV recently announced all contestants of this year’s series will receive therapy sessions after the show has ended.

On the subject of the contestants, after they were revealed earlier this week, the bosses were also under fire for not having people with a range of body types. This year’s first batch of 12 includes a surfer, a beauty therapist and boxer Tyson Fury ‘s brother Tommy. But fans were critical at the lack of diversity, with only one contestant being plus-size.

Richard Cowles, from ITV, defended the show saying it wasn’t encouraging people to aspire to a certain body image but instead they chose contestants based on who they think the public will want to watch. Choosing contestants for entertainment would make sense, but for me he went too far in saying contestants should “be attracted to one another” - as that does imply they only choose a certain type. This does influence viewers to want to reach an unrealistic beauty standard, that society deems “perfect”. I wouldn’t be surprised that during the two month run they respond to the criticism with new contestants of different body shapes.

Despite the issues though, I’m still expecting another fun series when it gets underway.

READ MORE: I couldn't defend Love Island this time, as twist went too far