TV star’s brother kills himself after text row with Scots girlfriend
THE millionaire playboy brother of a US reality TV star took a fatal overdose after sending his fiancée a picture of a table covered with pills, an inquest has heard.
Celebrity DJ Mark Vanderpump was going through numerous ‘life stresses’, including a divorce, financial problems and health issues in his family.
His relationship with model Gemma Ramsay, 35, was falling apart and they were having ‘intense’ arguments in the months before he took his own life.
Last year it was reported that Mr Vanderpump, 59, was having an affair with Miss Ramsay, the sister of the actor Patrick Baladi, who played David Brent’s boss in BBC sitcom The Office. She was at that time married to Scots businessman Mike Ramsay.
Mr Ramsay, a company director from Elgin, Moray, was found not guilty last year of allegedly behaving in a threatening manner to his wife at Inverness Airport. During the case he claimed he had paid £70,000 for her to have two breast augmentations and four operations on her nose.
He said he knew she had become involved with Mr Vanderpump when she was travelling to London for the procedures.
Mr Vanderpump was the brother of Lisa Vanderpump, a British restaurateur and actress best known for appearing on US reality show The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
His father Jonathan told Gloucester Coroner’s Court that he and his wife had dinner with their son on April 29. They invited him to stay the night, but he went home.
They were aware he was in a ‘low mood’ so they tried to call him the next day without success. His father then went to his home near Cirencester, Gloucestershire, and found him comatose on the sofa.
He was taken to hospital in Swindon but died on May 1.
The inquest heard there was a half-bottle of whisky and numerous packets of tablets near Mr Vanderpump when he was found.
A post-mortem examination showed high levels of paracetamol and codeine in his body and the cause of death was given as drug toxicity.
The coroner heard that following an attempt to take his life last Christmas, he had received treatment and counselling and his condition had soon stabilised.
Mr Vanderpump’s father said he was aware his son had been ‘experiencing financial problems’ and that he had taken an overdose around Christmas.
Gloucestershire coroner Katy Skerrett said: ‘Jonathan Vanderpump explained that Gemma had been making reports about Mark. This had led to some ongoing issues.’ The coroner disclosed that she had received a full transcript of texts between Mr Vanderpump and his fiancée on April 29.
She said: ‘In the early hours of April 30 they are arguing via text and essentially it is clear he says goodbye to Gemma. He posted a picture of pills on a table. He made it clear he was taking those.
‘No further messages were sent or received till 9.15am when Gemma tried to contact him.’
Recording a conclusion that Mr Vanderpump took his own life, the coroner said: ‘It is clear from the text messages that his difficulties with his new relationship had reached a critical point during April and the arguments between them were getting more intense.’
She said she was satisfied Mr Vanderpump’s death was suicide and not a cry for help.
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‘He says goodbye to Gemma’