Lucy Spraggan wants TV stars to be awarded lifelong 'mental health pension'

12 August 2023 , 18:15

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Lucy attempted suicide after being sexually assaulted while an X Factor

Lucy Spraggan has called for TV firms to offer contestants and staff a lifelong “ mental health pension”, saying: “If they don’t then, ultimately, people die.”

Lucy, 32 – who attempted suicide after being raped while an X Factor contestant in 2012 – told how she had been heartbroken by Caroline Flack’s death, and wrote a song to keep the star’s name alive. Ex-Love Island host Caroline’s suicide in 2020 followed those of Sophie Gradon and Mike Thalassitis – both former contestants on the ITV2 reality dating show.

Lucy, whose song Last Night became a viral chart hit even before her X Factor audition aired, says she wants ongoing access to mental health support to be an industry standard for TV contestants and staff. She said: “If the TV companies acknowledge they need to support people going forward, they also need to acknowledge they should support people from the past.

Singer Lucy Spraggan is calling for change in the industry (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

Caroline Flack died by suicide in 2020 (Dave Benett/Getty Images for JW Marriott Grosvenor House London)

“And they need to care about producers and crew too, not just contestants.” She revealed she has had long talks with X Factor boss Simon Cowell on the topic and he is “very supportive”. Lucy said: “My song Caroline was the first one I wrote on the album. I felt really affected by how she felt at the end of her life. The middle repeats her name over and over, which is what I want the song to do, to make sure it stays in all our minds.”

Lucy told in autobiography Process how she had been assaulted while on X Factor. Her attacker got 10 years’ jail. She wants all TV firms to pay for a fund out of profits to provide mental health resources.

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Lucy wrote a song about Caroline to keep her name alive (Dave Benett/Getty Images)

The singer, whose last album, Choices, entered the charts at No5 in 2021, added: “When I needed that support, I didn’t know where to look. It’s awkward to even be in a doctor’s surgery and have your name called. But I’ve done 11 years of work on myself. Now I just want to keep making music.”

ITV said it had “the deepest compassion” for Lucy and was commit ted to ensuring independent producers protect participants’ mental welfare. They added: “We continue to evolve duty of care processes on shows we produce.”

Laura Armstrong