Love Island: ITV admits it was wrong to air cosmetic surgery and diet ads during breaks

The broadcaster has been criticised by the NHS, the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons and psychologists

ITV has admitted it made a mistake in broadcasting adverts for cosmetic surgery and weight loss products during episodes of Love Island.

The broadcaster made the statement after coming under criticism from health organisations who raised concerns that the companies advertising were exploiting viewers’ insecurities - which may be heightened after watching the reality series where highly attractive young singletons spend their days in swimwear.

“There were a tiny number of ads where I would have thought the juxtaposition was not quite right,” said Carolyn McCall, the broadcaster’s chief executive.

“We are highly regulated on the ad side and we are totally compliant, my opinion is we sometimes need to be more sensitive. We have to be aware.”

The companies whose adverts came under fire include MYA Cosmetic Surgery, which offers loans for tummy tucks, breast enlargements and nose jobs, and Skinny Sprinkles, a diet supplement which describes itself as a “gastric band in a glass.”

But recent research conducted by feminist campaign group Level Up found that 40 per cent of women who watch Love Island feel more self-conscious about their body image afterwards.

What’s more, 30 per cent of millennial women think about going on a diet to lose weight after watching the reality TV series, while 11 per cent consider getting lip fillers, eight per cent are tempted by breast enhancement surgery and seven per cent consider Botox.

Both the NHS and the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons have also criticised the broadcasting of “damaging” surgery ads.

The pair still held a flame for each other despite being forced to separate to stay on the island (Rex Features)

NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens urged ITV to look “very carefully at the kinds of impacts that it is having.”

He told BBC One’s Andrew Marr Show: “If you look at the increasing pressures on young people around eating disorder services, we have to think about the whole environment in which children are being exposed to.

“Some of that is social media, but I mean even if you take a show like Love Island, look at the adverts that are being shown alongside Love Island.

“You’ve got explicit ads aiming at young women around breast cosmetic surgery. That is all playing into a set of pressures around body image that are showing up as a burden on other services.”

And various psychologists have spoken out to condemn the advertisements shown in the breaks of the TV show.

Dr Becky Spelman, for example, told The Mirror she thought the cosmetic surgery adverts were “predatory and exploitative” for targeting influential viewers.