ITV2 and ITV Hub announced the launch of “Retreat Yourself,” a new Twenty Six 03 production which will debut on July 8. Commissioned as part of ITV and Campaign Against Living Miserably’s ongoing mental wellness campaign “What Gets You Through,” the show sees unconventional-wellness guru Donna Preston open the retreat’s doors to four famous faces, ready to showcase a series of the weird, wonderful, less than conventional coping mechanisms, proving that self care comes in many shapes and forms.
Singer Jake Quickenden, Love Island favorite Kaz Kamwi, social media star Holly Ramsay and radio DJ Dean McCollough are the celebrities checking into the most extraordinary wellness centre, where host Donna is determined to flip classic wellness activities on their head and prove that when it comes to caring for your mental health, it really is all about just doing “whatever gets you through.”
With a core audience of viewers aged between 16–34-year-olds on ITV2, and with over 80% of that demographic registered on ITV Hub, the partnership with CALM aims to ensure that younger people feel equipped to think about what helps them get through tough times, and make time for it. In 2021, the partnership led to over 1 million young people take action to manage their mental wellbeing and feel better able to cope with life’s ups and downs.
As part of the partnership, ITV2 and CALM have continued their TV and social media campaign for a second year. Produced by ITV Creative, the campaign focuses on the more unusual things people do to get themselves through low moments. The campaign was further amplified by a TikTok partnership with creators sharing their quirky pick me ups, and encouraging their followers to “Just Do What Gets You Through.” The latest burst of the campaign launched on June 6 with a new ad featuring a young woman boosting her mood by dancing along to her gran DJing. The first burst of the campaign in March this year led to over 1.3 million people taking action to care for their mental wellbeing.
“We know young people need to find new ways to look after their mental wellbeing and that traditional techniques can be off putting. This show aims to give young people a starting point to explore looking after their mental wellbeing and remove the stigma around self-care to empower more young people to do what works for them,” said Simon Gunning, CEO for Campaign Against Living Miserably.
“At ITV we are on a mission to normalize looking after our mental wellbeing. ‘Retreat Yourself’ is a brilliant example of entertaining content that also has a positive impact. We hope this series with its quirky pick-me-ups will help viewers consider what really works for them on a low mood - whether or not it fits the mould of typical self-care,” added Susie Braun, Director of Social Purpose at ITV.
Lastly, Duncan Gray and Antonia Hurford-Jones, Executive Producers at Twenty Six 03, said: "We are delighted to be working with ITV and CALM again to highlight this important issue. As well as exploring our celebrities’ coping mechanisms, the series will also be a lot of fun and we hope it will encourage viewers to find their own methods for looking after their mental health and wellbeing.”
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