Tragedy has struck the British reality TV world. Jordan Wright, a 33-year-old former star of The Only Way Is Essex and MTV’s “Ex on the Beach,” was found dead in a drainage canal in Phuket, Thailand, on March 14. A Burmese worker discovered his body face down in stagnant water near Bang Tao Beach around 12:30 p.m. local time. He was barefoot, wearing a gray T-shirt and black pants, with his hotel key card still in his pocket and his iPhone nearby on the bank.
The circumstances surrounding Wright’s death remain shrouded in mystery. Police reports reveal he had checked into the COCO Phuket Bangtao Hotel alone and was scheduled to check out on March 13, but never did. Staff had been trying to reach him. Security footage from the hotel shows Wright in his final hours appearing visibly agitated. “CCTV footage showed that he appeared restless and was moving back and forth in front of the hotel before leaving the area,” Police Chief Sutthirak Chuthong of Choeng Thale district station confirmed. “His movements eventually led to the location where his body was later discovered.”
Investigators have stated there were no signs of physical assault or a struggle at the scene, and a search of his hotel room revealed no evidence of forced entry or disturbance. However, the case is far from closed. Wright’s body has been transported to Vachira Phuket Hospital, where an autopsy is being performed. Authorities are waiting for toxicology reports to determine if alcohol or drugs played a role in his death. “We are still waiting for the autopsy results to determine whether drugs were present in his system,” Chuthong stated. Officials believe his body may have been in the canal for up to two days before discovery.
Wright, originally from Basildon, Essex, first rose to fame in 2017 on “Ex on the Beach,” where he briefly dated Geordie Shore star Vicky Pattison. He joined the cast of The Only Way Is Essex the following year, appearing in eight episodes. After leaving reality television behind, he returned to his work as a firefighter and later pursued a career in financial investment. However, he recently relocated to Thailand, seeking what friends described as a “new start.” His final Instagram post on March 6 simply declared, “I’m home,” showing him smiling while holding a glass of wine in an infinity pool. Tributes have flooded the post, with one friend writing, “Such a lovely person gone far too soon.”
