Love Island star hanged herself ‘af ter drink, drugs binge’
LOVE Island contestant Sophie Gradon took her own life after bingeing on cocaine and alcohol, an inquest heard yesterday.
The former Miss Great Britain, 32, texted a friend that she was struggling and ‘wanted to escape’.
Ms Gradon, who hanged herself last June, said she felt anxious after ‘selling her soul’ to appear on the controversial ITV dating show two years before. The model had been struggling in the three weeks since the drugs death of close friend Paul Burns.
Mr Burns, who died from an overdose of MDMA – ecstasy – had ‘previously stopped her taking her own life’, North Tyneside Coroner’s Court in England heard.
Ms Gradon was found dead on June 20 by her boyfriend Aaron Armstrong, who killed himself in a similar fashion 20 days later. Hours before she died, Ms Gradon texted a friend saying: ‘If I could escape I would... I cannot do this any more I struggle every day.’
Mr Armstrong, 25, tried to contact her the next morning, but she did not reply. He and his brother then visited Ms Gradon’s home in Northumberland, northeast England, where they found her body.
Coroner Eric Armstrong said cocaine and alcohol, which a post mortem found in her system, may have prevented Ms Gradon thinking ‘rationally or logically’ and so he could not record a verdict of suicide. He said: ‘If Sophie’s death is to serve any purpose at all, that message should go out far and wide. I must warn about imbibing alcohol and using cocaine.’ The combination could ‘give rise to violent thoughts, and those thoughts can be directed against the self ’, he said. Ms Gradon was crowned Miss Great Britain in 2009. Friends claim she fell victim to the perils of instant fame after appearing on Love Island in 2016. Ms Gradon said taking part had left her stressed. She felt she had ‘sold her soul’ to reality TV, criticised the show’s makers for lack of psychological aftercare and said she had battled depression, exacerbated by online abuse. For confidential support, call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local branch. For details, see samaritans.org/ireland. news@dailymail.ie