Tuesday 14 June 2022 08:04 AM Love Island's Dr Alex admits comfort eating to combat anxiety trends now
Dr Alex George has admitted to eating unhealthy foods during periods of stress and says he's worked with a therapist to eradicate certain 'patterns of behaviour.'
The former Love Island contestant, 31, told MailOnline he's replaced snacking with walking, swimming, and the gym in a bid to improve his lifestyle.
In an exclusive interview, Alex praised ITV's new and improved mental health package that is offered to contestants, saying producers have become 'industry experts' after the show suffered several 'tragedies.'
'I've become more self-aware': Dr Alex George has admitted to eating unhealthy foods during periods of stress and says he's worked with a therapist to eradicate 'patterns of behaviour'
He said: 'I was talking with my therapist about coping mechanisms because when I'm stressed, I turn to unhealthy foods.
'She always says to me to think about what purpose is it serving? Over the last couple of years, I've become more self-aware of patterns of behaviour.
'Most of what we do is to fill a gap or a hole and give you a sense of feeling comfort and food has been that for me.
'Walking is huge and I love going out and walking and the gym, I've really got back into exercising. I've been swimming, there's something about the monotony of swimming that I like, which I know sounds odd.'
'Most of what we do is to fill a gap': The former Love Island contestant told MailOnline he's replaced snacking with walking, swimming, and the gym in a bid to improve his lifestyle
Alex, who found fame on Love Island in 2018, was last year appointed Youth Mental Health Ambassador by the Prime Minster to raise the profile of mental health education and wellbeing in schools.
He also sits on ITV's mental health advisory board for Love Island after two of the show's former contestants, Sophie Gradon, and Mike Thalassitis, took their own lives.
Commenting on the aftercare Islanders are offered now, Alex said: 'I must say – a real pat on the back to ITV.
'There has been a huge – and I don't have to say that – a huge amount of progress made with the packages.
'In many ways they are industry leaders because when we have roundtables, we are sat there with a lot of different charity sectors and experts in different organisations.
'Love Island is so big and there have been a lot of difficult things to happen, clearly we've had tragedies.'
'Huge progress': Alex praised ITV's new and improved mental health package, saying producers have become 'industry experts' after the show suffered several 'tragedies'
As an A&E doctor, Alex has long advocated for better mental healthcare.
His work now serves a greater purpose after he sadly lost his 19-year-old brother Llŷr to suicide in 2020.
Alex, who admits he asked to speak to a therapist after coming off Love Island, said he's most concerned by people that don't ask
