On the 17th March 2019 Mike Thalassitis was found hanged in a park in Edmonton. Another former Love Island contestant Montana Brown stated Mike had been in a ‘dark place for a few months’. Brown wrote a heart-shattering tribute saying she ‘can’t imagine how much pain you must have been in and the fact you went through this on your own breaks my heart’.
Mike was in such a bad place he had to turn to ‘The Magic’ self-help books, but even these weren’t enough. Both of these actors had been on Love Island together in the 2017 series.
On the show he earned the name ‘Muggy Mike’ as well as a reputation of a reality villain. Mike’s tragic death comes only two months after his best friend Danny Cutts passed away on Christmas Eve and two days after his Nan passed away. Mike moved in with his Nan to become her carer.
He last played football in 2017 for Margate before going to appear on Celebs Go Dating. During his time on the show he was alongside Gemma Collins and Made In Chelsea star Sam Collins.
Mike’s ex-girlfriend TOWIE star Megan McKennna posted on instagram ‘I’m in complete shock and trying to come to terms with this.’ In June last year, Sophie Gradon from the second of Love Island died at 32.
A spokesman from ITV said they are ‘shocked and saddened by this news.’ One of the Love Island stars said after the show ends, contestants are only given support if they are ‘number one’. Jess Shears tweeted ‘Shows offer you support but realistically it’s only while you are in their care.’ The minute these actors get home and aren’t making money they are forgotten.
Dom Lever who featured in the same series tweeted ‘You get a psychological evaluation before and after you go on the show but hands down once you are done on the show you don’t get any support unless you’re number one.’ In conclusion why are young people drawn to these television shows when they face a disappointing reality after the show?
