Mike Thalassitis had a secret six month battle with depression before his death after quitting football for showbiz life
LOVE Island's Mike Thalassitis was secretly battling depression for at least six months before his tragic death, The Sun Online can reveal.
A close friend said the star, who was found hanged in a park on Saturday, had been taking anti-depressants since September after an "absolutely horrible" time.
They explained: "Mike was openly talking to people about the awful time he'd been having lately and he had lots of good friends who were supporting him.
"Everybody knew he was taking anti-depressants, but he insisted to friends that he was sorting himself out and things were 'getting better'.
"Mike was very open and honest about his feelings and admitted life had gone downhill after his Love Island fame had started to wane - but he was looking forward to the future and his new business.
"He spoke about how he longed to return to his old life and play football again with his mates. His old club Margate FC were even open to him coming back as a player.
"However, Mike was too down; he was convinced he wasn't good enough, said he wasn't fit enough and feared he wouldn't be accepted as a footballer again."
The friend explained how Mike missed the football world, where he was known simply as 'Thala' rather than the 'Muggy Mike' moniker he'd gained on Love Island.
Between 2010 and 2017, he played as a striker for teams including Stevenage, Chelmsford City and Margate.
They explained: "Mike loved the parties and hanging out with his showbiz pals but someone called him 'Thala' the other week and he was thrilled. He said: 'It's so nice to hear that again.'
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"Ultimately, he would have loved to return to playing - but he was just too depressed to make the leap."
Mike's pals were astonished by his tragic death because all signs were pointing to a massive change in fortunes for the star.
He had just finished filming the forthcoming series of MTV's Ex On The Beach.
Also, his beloved restaurant The Skillet, a joint venture with footballer pal Scott Neilson, was due to open which he was hugely excited about - with the pair even having sent out invites to the grand opening.
The pal told us: "Mike was so thrilled about his restaurant and would talk about it non-stop. Everyone was convinced he was getting better as he was so passionate about his new venture."
They added: "He was involved in everything from the menus to the colour of the walls and spoke about how excited he was about it right up until the night before he died.
"It's a tragedy that he will never get to see all his brilliant plans come to fruition."
YOU'RE NOT ALONE
EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide.
It doesn't discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society - from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It's the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
Yet it's rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
That is why The Sun launched the You're Not Alone campaign.
The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our bit to help save lives.
Let's all vow to ask for help when we need it, and listen out for others.
You're Not Alone.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
- CALM, , 0800 585 858
- Heads Together,
- Mind, , 0300 123 3393
- Papyrus,, 0800 068 41 41
- Samaritans, , 116 123
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