THE Only Way is Essex returned to our screens on Sunday – but with tragedy looming over a recent cast member’s death and another star facing a major health battle, has it put a downcast on the show?
Tributes continue to pour in for Jordan Wright, 33, who was found lifeless in a drainage ditch near Bang Tao Beach in Thailand on March 14.
The former firefighter, of Stanford-le-Hope, near Basildon, had only moved to the island of Phuket just weeks before, with him posting a series of pictures referring to the hotspot as his “home”.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Chanasin Prateep Na Thalang said that a “foreign family of three staying at The Title Hotel” had earlier spotted him walking by the “drainage canal, shouting loudly as if he was in a frenzied state”.
The witnesses then “heard the sound of someone wading in the water”, before the “noise went quiet.”
The officer added: “The water level in some parts of the canal was chest-deep, and with the darkness and his agitated state, he may not have been able to climb back out.”
Sadly, this isn’t the only tragedy to have rocked the cast, with former members reporting a close brush with death away from the show.
Here we take a look at some of the chaos to have featured off-screen including a 70ft cliff fall and horrific hospitalisations.
Deadly cliff drop
Former TOWIE star Yazmin Oukhellou, almost plunged 70ft to her death in a catastrophic crash in Turkey.
Although she survived the ordeal, her on/off boyfriend who was driving at the time, Jake McLean was tragically killed.
She previously told The Sun: “We were just tumbling for what seemed like forever.
“It felt like I was going round in a washing machine, just round and round. Then eventually it stopped and my right arm was jammed.
She said: “I could just felt my arm absolutely covered in blood. It was like I was lying in a hot bath, there was so much around me.
“At the same time I was trying to wake up Jake. I didn’t want to admit it to myself that he could be dead.
“I somehow snapped my arm through pure adrenaline and panic. I climbed out of the car, and I was kind of holding my arm together with my left hand.
“I ran up to the top of the bank, I was screaming for help and then all of a sudden I saw a flashlight.”
Jake, 33, was declared dead while she was raced to hospital.
The couple had spent the night with pals at a club in Bodrum a fortnight ago.
Yazmin said at the time: “Jake is the only person I have ever felt a love like that for and I think for me it’s going to be very, very difficult to get over this.
“This will stay with me for life. But for me, I loved him so hard and that’s why I travelled across the world to be with him.”
Meningitis misery
Jordan Brook endured the “hardest battle I’ve had to face”, after being hospitalised for three weeks with meningitis.
The TV personality was left unable to walk after he suffered from brain swelling and memory loss.
His doctor said he was in the top one per cent of the worst case of viral meningitis and encephalitis that he had ever seen.
Jordan, who is set to welcome a child with his partner, Sophie Kasaei, 36, stressed he needed to get better in time for the birth.
He recently told The Sun: “If I hadn’t trusted my gut, I’d be dead. I’d gone from filming TV shows, running my barber business and preparing to be a dad to fighting for my life overnight.
“The viruses were causing my brain to swell at a hugely dangerous rate and it was causing changes to my personality. There were times in hospital I didn’t even know who I was.”
After a 22-day stint in hospital, he is now recovering at home. It remains unclear whether he will feature in the latest season which starts on Sunday, April 26.
Near fatal overdose
Behind his larger than life personality, James Argent was deep into his drug addiction – which left him overdosing on two occasions.
The singer, now 39, said his girlfriend at the time, Gemma Collins, had to phone 999 twice in one year, with emergency services being forced to kick down his door.
Recalling his first overdose in October 2019, Arg previously told The Sun: “I locked myself in my house and took drugs for three days straight on my own in the pitch black.
“I was at rock bottom. My heart was beating out of my chest, my nose was bleeding, I was shaking and my breathing was terrible.
“Gemma called the ambulance and the police came too and all of a sudden they put my door through.
“The paramedics did checks on me and I remember being so scared because I had so much paranoia and psychosis.”
Just two months later, James, now 39, overdosed for a second time on the night before his birthday on December 5.
Speaking about the moment the ambulance arrived, he said: “They said, ‘You’ve done so much and your heart is so f***** you could die.”
Earlier that year in May, Arg was dumped from TOWIE following a positive cocaine test.
Over the years, Arg has praised his close pal and TOWIE co-star, Mark Wright for helping him with his recovery. He helped send him to rehab in Thailand which led to two years of recovery.
However, Arg had another blip in 2022. “I stopped attending my alcohol and drug addiction therapy and counselling sessions and I truly forgot how bad things were in the past,” he told The Sun at the time.
However, he vowed to prioritise his recovery by attending a a walk-in rehab centre near his home six days a week.
He said: “It’s perfect for me – instead of fleeing abroad for a few months like I used to, I sign in at 9am six days a week and have group meetings and therapy until 1pm.
“Then at 4pm I go to a cocaine and alcohol anonymous meeting and then I go home and watch Netflix or practice my bass guitar.”
Miss Sweden assault
Last year, Arg was handed a suspended prison sentence after he pushed his former Miss Sweden partner Nicoline Artursson down some steps on holiday in Spain.
An insider told The Sun: “James and Nicoline had a row that turned nasty and he pushed her over.
“He was arrested and taken to a station where he was put in the cells for a few hours.
“Their relationship is over and they can no longer speak or contact one another.”
He admitted the gender violence offence and was given a six-month prison sentence, suspended for two years.
The singer broke his silence about the assault and said: “I haven’t relapsed. I am still three years and four months clean and sober.
“I am devastated by what’s happened.”
Devastating loss
Clelia Theodorou was left seriously injured following a crash which claimed the life of her mother in Chigwell, Essex.
The star, who was pregnant at the time, sustained two broken legs. She underwent multiple surgeries following the incident.
Sadly, her mother, Gillian Theodorou was pronounced dead after the crash.
Arda Alhaslioglu, 20, allegedly smashed into the pair, but denied causing Gillian’s death and injuring Clelia in May 2023.
He appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court on February 16, this year, where he also pleaded not guilty to a further charge of causing death while driving uninsured.
Alhaslioglu is set to return to court in May for a hearing.
Clelia previously paid tribute to her mum and said: “At the end of May myself and my mum were unfortunately involved in an accident, we both suffered terrible injuries.
“I am continuing to heal from mine after weeks in hospital, but it’s with the biggest regret to say that my beautiful mum couldn’t heal from hers.”
Clelia gave birth to her daughter, Cielo Elizabeth Cole, in September 2023.
Reflecting on her challenging journey, she went on proudly: ‘The first few months of Cici’s life I couldn’t even hold her standing up because I wasn’t able to, so for me being able to do this, it’s just such a relief and such a blessing.
‘It’s little things like taking your baby for a walk in the pram that got me down so so much on top of everything else because it’s such a simple everyday thing for a mum to do but when you physically can’t, it’s heartbreaking. For the first time I’m proud of myself.’
Clelia admitted she was unable to drive after the crash because she suffered from PTSD.
She previously told her Instagram followers that she doesn’t know whether she’ll ever be able to speak about the crash, but has shared milestones and updates about her daughter and recovery.
In response to a fan who asked her if she would ever want more children, she said: “I would love love love another one but when the time is right.
“I need to be fully recovered from my injuries, fit and healthy to be able to endure pregnancy.
“I actually had such a wonderful pregnancy, I was so so lucky in so many ways, but I didn’t get to enjoy it for months onwards so would love to experience it fully & ‘normally’. “
