Who was Alistair Eccles? Jessica Cunningham’s ex and father of three
CELEBRITY Big Brother and The Apprentice star Jessica Cunningham was devastated by the loss of her ex and father to her three daughters, Alistair Eccles.
Alistair, 35, was found dead on August 11, 2017. Here's all you need to know about his relationship with Jessica, his life and how he died.
What was Alistair Eccles' relationship with Jessica Cunningham?
Alistair is Jessica Cunningham's ex-partner and the father of her three children.
They were together long-term, but split up in 2015, when he was convicted of money laundering and given a 15-month suspended prison sentence.
Alistair and Jessica ran fashion business Famous Frocks together but it went under shortly after his conviction.
Although they were split up Jessica was no less crushed to hear that her ex had died.
A representative for the star told The Sun Online at the time: ";Despite their break-up, Alistair was a really good father to their children.
"Jessica is politely asking for some privacy at this devastating time so that she can protect their three girls."
How did Alistair Eccles die?
Alistair was found dead at a friend's flat on August 11, 2017.
A police statement said: "We were called shortly before 3am on August 11 following a report that a 35-year-old man had been taken to Royal Blackburn Hospital after he had been found at an address in Burnley.
"He was sadly pronounced deceased at hospital. His death is not being treated as suspicious and a file will be passed to the coroner."
An inquest into his death in January 2018 heard how the former businessman had a history of anxiety and depression.
Jessica, who ran fashion business Famous Frocks with Alistair, provided a statement to the inquest in Preston which read: "We had three children together but we had difficulties and separated in September 2014.
''When we separated I lived in another part of the country and he still saw the children and we were in contact with each other very regularly.
''We texted a lot and he saw the children every other weekend and he seemed to have a good life and it seemed to be on track. There were normal text messages and they flowed regularly about the children. I was contacted by his family to say that he had passed away.''
On August 10, Alistair had been drinking beer and vodka with friend Sarfraz Ahmed and asked if he could stay over as it was closer to where his children lived.
The next day, Mr Ahmed discovered Alistair had hanged himself in the landing of the flat in Preston.
He said: "Throughout the evening he was on his phone but there was no indication that there was a problem. He wasn't the sort of person to talk if there was a problem."
The inquest heard Alistair left no note and there was nothing of any ''relevance'' was found in any text messages.
Dr Muammer Al-Mudhaffer confirmed the cause of death was hanging.
Why did Alistair Eccles run into trouble with the law?
Alistair Eccles was once part of a gang of fraudsters who were jailed for 24 years.
He was arrested and handed a 15-month suspended prison sentence after admitting money laundering at Preston Crown Court for his part in an elaborate scam in 2013.
He received the punishment for his role in a publishing scam that saw victims all over Britain scammed out of £740,000.
His cronies sold bogus adverts to unsuspecting businesses, and when they didn’t pay up Alistair’s accomplices sent gang members posing as bailiffs to their homes and businesses.
The revelations sparked a scandal during Jessica's time on The Apprentice, although she is said to have ended the relationship after Eccles' conviction.
Who is Jessica Cunningham?
Jessica Cunningham is a successful businesswoman who rose to fame on series 12 of The Apprentice, making it to the penultimate week of the show before being knocked out at the interview stage.
After her first business failed and closed in 2015 she founded a new online fashion firm, ProdigalFox, with her sister Emma Deeks.
She is also the Operations Director for a PR and marketing agency.
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What has Jessica Cunningham said about Alistair Eccles' death?
Jess shared a .
In the emotional post, she wrote about the "upsetting" and "sadness" over the terrible ordeal
She said: "The past three weeks have been incredibly upsetting, challenging and full of sadness.
"I want to thank the special souls that have brought light where there was darkness, helped my children to smile when there were only tears and helped them believe there is life after death.
"The strength and support from those closest to myself and my children has given me faith that they will lead as happy as can be and normal lives and that the hard choices I've had to make have been the right decisions.
"I feel truly saddened about what has happened as there was so much to live for."
On October 10, 2017, she penned an open letter to her children about their father's death.
If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans on (free) 116123 or 020 7734 2800.