TOWIE’s Jordan Wright reflected on the heartbreaking impact of his reality TV career, before his tragic death at 33 last week.
The late star, who appeared in eight episodes of Ex On The Beach in 2017 and 17 episodes of TOWIE in 2018, was found dead after being seen behaving eractically before drowning in a drainage canal close to Bang Tao Beach, Phuket in Thailand.
While details of his death are still being established, a 2023 Instagram post shared by the star has reemerged, in which he spoke about how reality TV had ‘left him unfulfilled, stagnant and lost’ and losing his sense of purpose.
In the post, he reflected on his time in the London Fire Brigade. In 2019, Jordan was reportedly axed from TOWIE amid claims he was taking paid sick leave to film the show. He later quit reality TV altogether to return to his job as a firefighter.
Alongside a trio of images showing him starting in his firefighter role, he wrote the emotional caption: ‘An incredibly emotional day for me today to say the least. This was me at 19 years old when I first joined the fire brigade…
TOWIE’s Jordan Wright reflected on the heartbreaking impact of his reality TV career, before his tragic death at 33 last week (pictured in the fire service at 19)
The late star, who appeared in eight episodes of Ex On The Beach in 2017 and 17 episodes of TOWIE in 2018, was found dead in a drainage canal close to Bang Tao Beach, Phuket in Thailand (Jordan pictured in his final Instagram post)
In the post, he reflected on his time in the London Fire Brigade. In 2019, Jordan was reportedly axed from TOWIE amid claims he was taking paid sick leave to film the show. He later quit reality TV altogether to return to his job as a firefighter
‘I had [an] enjoyable career for six years before I resigned to pursue a life in the limelight of reality tv. A choice that left me hugely unfulfilled, stagnant & lost…
‘People think it’s glitz & glamour but the truth is very far from public perception, I really struggled. When I left I lost a huge part of myself and my sense of purpose.
‘Those of you close to me understand just how much I’ve struggled to find direction…
‘I appreciate every single one of you that has walked the twisty path of uncertainty you will never understand just how much your support meant. You mean the absolute world to me. Redemption is a road that we all walk at some stage in our lives.’
In recent years, Jordan rejoined the fire service in his ‘redemption arc’, but left to pursue a career in financial investment.
On his LinkedIn profile he was listed as the director of London-based company Hampton Gate Wealth, a ’boutique introducer focusing on alternative fixed income strategies for qualified investors’.
He appears to have spent several weeks in Thailand prior to his death, with social media referring to his ‘new life’ in the country amid videos showing him riding fast motorbikes, enjoying time on the beach and indulging in martial arts training.
A final post, dated March 6, showed a photograph of Jordan relaxing with a glass of wine in an infinity pool, alongside videos of him on boat trips, posing with a motorbike, scuba diving and eating local cuisine against the scenic landscape.
Jordan is pictured on TOWIE in 2018
Last week, tributes flooded in from fellow reality stars and friends after Jordan’s death was announced by Thai officials.
Police said the body of a British man was discovered in stagnant water by a Burmese worker on the afternoon of Saturday 14 March at around 12.30pm.
CCTV captured him running around erratically before his death. He was said to have been found lying face down in a water ditch, wearing a grey shirt and black trousers, but was barefoot.
Officials said the body appeared to have been there for some time, but there did not seem to be any sign of physical assault.
Jordan is pictured on Ex On The Beach in 2017
His new iPhone 17 is thought to have been found on a nearby bank, while his pocket contained a hotel key card for Hotel COCO Phuket Bangtao, around a 20-minute walk away from where he was found.
Detectives said there were no signs of forced entry or disturbance at the hotel. Authorities are now awaiting the results of an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.
His former manager Alex Shafiq told the Daily Mail that Jordan was a ‘fun lad’ who ‘lit up any room with his smile’.
He wrote: ‘I’m a good judge of character and I knew Jordan was a great person from the moment I met him. He was a very good looking lad, with a great, wide smile. He tried TV for a bit but DJing was his real passion, that’s what he wanted to focus on.’
