When The Only Way Is Essex debuted on screens sixteen years ago, it attracted large audiences who enjoyed learning about the lifestyles of the flashy elite of the home county.
TOWIE, which followed the lives of celebrities like Mark Wright, Lauren Goodger, James Argent, and Sam Faiers, included romantic conflicts, friendship breakups, philandering, and the emergence of numerous catchphrases and memorable pop culture moments.
However, since many of the show’s stars have experienced tragedies such as premature deaths, drug struggles, criminal activity, and company failures, the drama off-screen has intensified over time.
The show’s star, Jake Hall, who rose to popularity in 2015 and played on TOWIE from series 14 to 18, died on Wednesday at the age of just 35 after “smashing his head through a glass door” at a Majorca rental.
His death occurred ten years after he was stabbed in a nightclub, one of several attacks on celebrities, such as the 2011 attack on Sam and her sister Billie Faiers and the 2017 acid attack on Ferne McCann’s lover Arthur Collins.
A number of the cast members have struggled with addiction in addition to violence. James, also known as “Arg,” has been candid about his alcohol and cocaine addiction, while Kirk Norcross has been clean for five years.
Due to a number of other tragedies and crises that erupted following its 2010 premiere, many have believed that the ITV show has “cursed” the cast members.
When The Only Way Is Essex debuted on screens sixteen years ago, it attracted a large number of admirers who were fascinated by the fashionable elite of the home county. (Pictured: Top L, Mark Wright R, Kirk Norcross; Bottom L-R Lauren Goodger, Amy Childs, Jess Wright, Sam Faiers)
The show’s star, Jake Hall, who rose to popularity in 2015 and played on TOWIE from series 14 to 18, died on Wednesday at the age of just 35 after “smashing his head through a glass door” at a Majorca rental house (seen in 2016).
Tragic Deaths
Jake was discovered by authorities on Wednesday in a pool of blood with fatal head injuries that appeared to have been inflicted by glass fragments.
The hypothesis that he struck his head on the door in a terrible accident is the main focus of Spanish investigators.Witnesses reportedly told investigators they had been “partying all night and decided to carry on the party back at his rented place,” according to a source.
He is survived by his eight-year-old daughter River, who he shares with Misse Beqiri, star of Real Housewives of Cheshire and Ladies of London.
“At this time, Misse’s focus is on supporting and protecting their child as they come to terms with this devastating loss,” stated Misse’s representatives. While they grieve in private, the family is requesting respect, privacy, and compassion.
Police discovered Jake laying in a pool of blood with fatal head injuries that appeared to have been caused by glass fragments, and it was confirmed on Thursday that he had died.
Jordan Wright, a former TOWIE star, was discovered dead on March 14 after drowning in a drainage canal in Thalang District, Phuket, just before Jake passed away.
After his body was returned to his home state of Essex, Basildon Hospital performed a post-mortem examination.His death was the subject of an inquest that began earlier this month and has been postponed until September 14.
Shortly before his passing, Jordan, who starred in eight episodes of MTV’s Ex On The Beach in 2017 and seventeen episodes of TOWIE the following year, was also seen acting strangely in eerie footage.
On March 12, just before midnight, CCTV captured him running back to his hotel on the island of Phuket while peering over his shoulder.
The circumstances surrounding Wright’s death are “unclear,” according to the police, and it’s conceivable that “other people were involved.”
Jordan Wright, a former TOWIE star, was discovered dead on March 14 after drowning in a drainage canal in Thalang District, Phuket, just before Jake passed away.
Mick Norcross, a businessman and TOWIE celebrity, committed suicide by hanging himself in January 2021 at the age of 57. In 2011, he made his TOWIE debut in the second season. Kirk, his 32-year-old son, was a member of the original cast.
The CBB star’s cocaine addiction relapsed after Kirk found his father dead at home. Due to financial difficulties, the businessman obtained a £3.6 million bank loan and a bridging loan secured by his primary property.
Ricky Rayment broke the devastating news of his sister’s death last year. Lisa Kempley, his sister and makeup artist, passed away on July 25 at the age of 56. Her funeral was held by the family. “RIP, my lovely sister,” he wrote. You received the farewell you were due. I will always love you.
“We are saddened to announce that our lovely Lisa passed away on Friday 25th July,” said a statement posted to Lisa’s company page last month.
“We want to extend an open invitation to attend her funeral service because we know she was genuinely loved by both friends and clients.”
Mick Norcross, a businessman and TOWIE celebrity, committed suicide by hanging himself in January 2021 at the age of 57. In 2011, he made his TOWIE debut in the second season. The initial cast included his 32-year-old son Kirk (Kirk, left, Mick, right in 2011).
ADDICTION
James “Arg” Argent has battled drug and alcohol addictions, as well as serious issues with his weight and mental health, since being thrown into the public eye.
Since becoming well-known on TOWIE, he has been candid about his struggles with alcohol and drug addiction. In 2014, he was suspended from the program after failing a standard drug test.
In order to receive the “ongoing support” he required, the TV personality then spent three months throughout the 2016 holiday season in a facility in Thailand.
However, Argent relapsed and was hospitalised twice in 2019 after overdosing on drugs at home, following a breakup with his then-girlfriend and fellow TOWIE cast member Gemma Collins.
Argent previously described how he had psychosis during the peak of his cocaine use, leading him to believe that his home’s walls were collapsing.
The reality star discussed how his drug use changed from being “recreational” during the zenith of his TOWIE success to something more worse in an interview with the Cabin Recovery Podcast in 2023.
James “Arg” Argent battled drug and alcohol addictions, as well as serious issues with his weight and mental health, after being thrown into the public eye (seen in 2019).
He openly described how his cocaine addiction caused him to suffer from insanity and paranoia, locking himself in his room for days at a time. Argent described a time when he went on a four-day cocaine binge, “barricaded” himself in his room, and experienced psychosis.
Argent boldly spoke about his battles with psychosis and the dark periods of his addiction, saying that during the height of his habit, he would take cocaine alone in his home. After reaching his lowest point in 2019, he battled to become sober.
However, Argent also suffered from an eating disorder and an unhealthy relationship with food as his body battled to overcome his drug and alcohol addiction.
Argent had gastric sleeve surgery in 2021 and then had a tummy tuck to remove the extra skin surrounding his stomach. At his heaviest, he weighed 27 stone, but he has subsequently shed 14 stone.
Despite his recent success, Arg encountered more controversy last year when he acknowledged pushing his model girlfriend Nicoline Artursson after a violent altercation while on a romantic vacation in Spain.
According to The Sun, he shoved the Swedish beauty queen as he attempted to eject her from her Costa del Sol flat through the front door.
The 32-year-old’s shouts alerted neighbours, who then contacted the police, as she fell down two stairs outside the house.Although it is clear that Artursson required hospital treatment, it is yet unknown how serious her injuries were.
He received a two-year restraining order and a six-month suspended sentence.
Despite his recent success, Arg encountered more controversy last year when he acknowledged pushing his model girlfriend Nicoline Artursson after a violent altercation while on a romantic vacation in Spain (the couple was seen in May).
Horrors from nightclubs
Sam suffered two black eyes, a split nose, bumps, bruises, and scratches after he and Billie were attacked by a girl gang in a nightclub in 2011.
“I really thought I was going to die. They just came at me like a herd of elephants. It’s just a blur. I was being so violently attacked by so many girls that all I could do was curl up into a ball. Then I passed out,” she stated following the attack.
After that, Billie’s handbag was taken and she was beaten to the ground; they were later tricked into returning the things before being attacked once more.
Sam stated: “She promised to return Billie’s belongings if I met them in Repton Park. As soon as I got out of the taxi, I saw at least nine girls sprinting across the grass in my direction.”
“I was smashed to the ground and just beaten. I was punched in the face and kicked in the head. It was the same girls, but they had changed into tracksuits and trainers—I can only assume to make sure they could run faster than me.”
A girl group attacked Sam and Billie Faiers in a nightclub in 2011, leaving the former with two black eyes, a split nose, bumps, bruises, and scratches.
Jake made waves in 2016 after he was stabbed with a glass bottle at the Aqwa Mist club in Puerto Banus, Marbella, almost “losing a kidney.”
The late celebrity, who was 24 at the time, was allegedly involved in a fight at the beach club, where witnesses reported seeing individuals snatching broken glass from champagne bottles and the shisha pipes they were smoking.
Before he recovered and was allowed to leave the Spanish hospital, the attack kept him in critical care and prevented him from walking for a while.
When Jake was stabbed with a glass bottle at the Aqwa Mist club in Puerto Banus, Marbella, in 2016, he almost “lost a kidney,” making headlines.
DOOMED COMPANIONS
Arthur, Ferne’s lover and the father of her daughter Sunday, shocked the country in 2017 with a horrifying acid attack.
After a “gangland war” got out of hand, he threw acid at partygoers on the dance floor at Mangle E8 in Dalston, east London.
In one of the deadliest acid attacks in British history, he tossed the corrosive material randomly at innocent persons, causing chemical burn injuries to sixteen and temporary blindness to three.
He told his trial that he was unaware the bottle contained acid. Following the incident, he fled and was apprehended a few days later while hiding out in a residence in Higham Ferrers, Northamptonshire.
He said he had stolen it from two men after “overhearing them planning to spike a girl’s drink,” and he thought it was a liquid date rape drug.
Arthur, Ferne’s lover and the father of her daughter Sunday, shocked the country in 2017 with a horrifying acid attack.
A jury found him guilty of five counts of grievous bodily harm with intent and nine counts of real bodily harm after he later admitted to consultant psychiatrist Dr. Philip Joseph that he knew the bottle contained acid.
It was later discovered that the thug had paid a renowned criminal attorney £50,000 to help shorten his prison sentence.
Collins’ attempt to have his 20-year prison term reduced was unsuccessful in 2018. In less than 10 minutes, three judges at the London Court of Appeal rejected Collins’ appeal, stating that “the severe sentence was fully justified.”
After a “gangland war” got out of hand, he threw acid at partygoers on the dance floor at Mangle E8 in Dalston, east London.
Before dating Joey Morrison, who was sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2010 after dressing like a postman to commit a burglary in Enfield, north London, Lauren was a member of the initial cast of TOWIE in 2010, starring alongside her then-boyfriend Mark.
Morrison was detained in 2009 after police discovered a £90k Land Rover and £60k worth of cocaine. Morrison was found guilty, and both of them were later convicted.
In June 2020, during a car pursuit, Joey’s younger brother Stephen was fatally murdered on a fuel station forecourt.
The 30-year-old’s attackers left the scene before the police came after he was critically injured in Epping, Essex, and taken to the hospital, where he subsequently passed away.
Before dating Joey Morrison, who was sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2010 after dressing like a postman to commit a burglary in Enfield, north London, Lauren was a member of the initial cast of TOWIE in 2010, starring alongside her then-boyfriend Mark.
Before his untimely death in 2022, Lauren’s previous lover, the late Jake McLean, whom she dated from 2012 to 2016, was also troubled.
When Jake died after driving his car down a cliff in Bodrum, Turkey, he was dating TOWIE actress Yazmin Oukhellou, who suffered severe injuries.
His medical cause of death was listed as “traumatic head injuries” in an inquest held over a year after his death. Coroner Dr. Shirley Ratcliffe stated: “The post mortem found no natural disease, as you would expect in a young man of 33. The cause of death was skull fractures and brain damage.”
“As far as I can tell, he had cocaine in his system and was driving under the influence almost three times over the legal limit.”
After the tragedy, Yazmin, who lost both an artery and a nerve, stated, “Now I’m just wondering how the hell did my partner die while I’ve survived? It’s made me look at life totally differently.”
Before his untimely death in 2022, Lauren’s previous lover, the late Jake McLean, whom she dated from 2012 to 2016, was also troubled.
When Jake died after driving his car down a cliff in Bodrum, Turkey, he was dating TOWIE actress Yazmin Oukhellou, who suffered severe injuries.
TIME IN JAIL
Before being imprisoned for six years and nine months in 2021 for possessing £70,000 worth of premium cocaine, Mike Hassini participated in the ITVBe series from 2015 to 2018. In April 2021, he was arrested trading a block of cocaine with associate Gary Bear in Hornchurch, East London.
When police halted Bear’s grey Mercedes after witnessing him moving a brown cardboard box inside, they discovered a block of cocaine wrapped in duct tape along with a number of smartphones and “burner” phones.
Mike claimed to have “around £36,000 pounds in cash, although he had not counted it yet” when he was caught by police in his black Smart car. He also claimed to have keys to his girlfriend’s parents’ property in addition to living at his mother’s home address.
Three smaller blocks of high-quality cocaine, boric acid, a hydraulic press, metal plates, and trace amounts of loose cocaine and MDMA were discovered by police when they investigated the property.
After barely two years in prison, Mike was freed in September 2023 after admitting to conspiracy to distribute a class A drug, possession of cocaine with intent to supply, and possession of criminal property.
Michael Hassini, a personal trainer who appeared on the ITV program from 2015 to 2018, was imprisoned for more than six years after being found in possession of £70,000 worth of cocaine.
AWFUL BUSINESS
Similar to many reality shows, celebrities tried to make money off of their sudden success by starting a variety of businesses, such as makeup companies and garment empires.
Unfortunately, many of the companies collapsed before they took off.
The majority of people are undoubtedly aware of Gemma Collins’ apparel line, Gemma Collins Collection, which the Mirror claims accrued debt totalling almost £42,000.
In 2020, Collins was also prohibited from owning any business for three years after the Insolvency Service found that she had paid herself with money from Gemma Collins Boutique Ltd. despite missing VAT deadlines.
She owed £76,000 after the shop failed.
“Gemma was shocked at the situation she found herself in. She believed her accountants were taking care of all financial aspects of the business while she did everything else,” a Gemma representative told MailOnline.
Gemma had invested significant amounts of her own funds in the company, but the Insolvency Service determined that there was no personal gain.
“Gemma also offered to pay the creditors in full over time, but HMRC rejected this, which led to the liquidation.”
Gemma Collins was photographed on November 8, 2014, at the “Gemma Collins Boutique” opening in Brentwood.
Following his time on television, Pete Wicks went into business. A few weeks after making his last appearance on the popular ITV program, he founded PW Promotions.
However, after approving documents in January, it was discovered that the celebrity’s company had a £100,000 deficit, owing Lloyds Bank £26,500, £7,477 in VAT, and £66,702 in corporation tax.
It is one of the three companies he controls and was founded in 2015 to handle his earnings.
Alongside Hermano Clothing and Pirate Pete’s Tattoo, which both opened and closed with no business at all, he started Unkempt in 2021 and TCDOR in November of last year, both of which remain idle.
Following his time on television, Pete Wicks went into business. A few weeks after making his last appearance on the venerable ITV program, he founded PW Promotions.
In 2013, Joey Essex decided to take use of his newfound notoriety by opening a clothes store named “Fusey” in Brentwood, Essex.
However, things took a turn for the worst when local vendors accused the TV personality of distancing himself from the neighbourhood, saying that “he didn’t want to know” when they attempted to involve him. The star moved online and closed the store.
“Joey just didn’t seem to want to be part of the community down here,” one person remarked.
“Owners who were born and raised in Brentwood appear to engage with the community and other businesses.”
Joey denied the allegations, stating that he was simply transferring his business online and wasn’t closing down because of a lack of clients.
A statement said, “I also hope the other traders in Crown Street can continue to be successful when we close as I appreciate a few were unhappy with the thousands of fans that visit my shop stating it affects their business.”
Fusey was dissolved in 2018, according to Companies House data.
In 2013, Joey Essex decided to take use of his newfound notoriety by opening a clothes store named “Fusey” in Brentwood, Essex.
