Mike Thalassitis' Love Island co-star Montana Brown 'kicks herself' for not replying to his last text

18 March 2019, 12:55 | Updated: 18 March 2019, 13:05

Montana Brown broke down as she appeared on This Morning to talk about her grief in the wake of Mike Thalassitis' death.

Montana Brown is "kicking herself" for not replying to Mike Thalassitis' last message before his tragic death.

The former Love Island contestant broke down in tears on Monday's This Morning as she revealed she is distraught she didn't text the reality TV star back when he messaged her two days before he was found dead in woodland near his home.

Speaking about when she last spoke to Mike, Montana told Holly and Phil: "Two days before.

"I'm actually kicking myself. He text me, and I didn't actually reply just because I'm really bad on my phone.

"I think you just overthink everything, about what you do. I just wish I had replied.

"He just said, 'How's it going, how are you?' And I didn't reply."

Read more: Lady Nadia Essex trolled for her very emotional reaction to Mike Thalassitis' death

The brunette beauty reached out to him at the end of last year, when she knew he was "going through a really rough time" and even leant him a book in a bid to lift his spirits.

She said: "He did go through a really rough time, in November/ December time.

"And I know he was really, really struggling. And that's when I thought, 'Oh my goodness, I feel like something bad is going to happen' and then I gave him the 'The Magic', which is obviously a spiritual book.

"I was kind of at my wits end. And I thought, 'Something really terrible is going to happen if I don't do something.'"

However, Montana says she was "shocked" to hear the 26-year-old has taken his own life on Saturday because she thought he had picked himself up and had been excited about his new café venture.

Read more: Reason for Love Island Mike's tragic death revealed

She said: "I kind of felt like he was coming out of it which is why it's come as such a shock, because he was doing so well and I think at the point, the work wasn't coming in. He had finished 'Celebs Go Dating' and the buzz had kind of gone.

"He didn't really know what to do for work and he wanted to be his own boss and he didn't know how to do that and I know he had a massive tax bill to be paid and I think the stress really got to him, and he kind of thought this fame wasn't what it was cracked up to be, where do I go now?

"But obviously he just started this brunch café which is nearly finished and it's just like, 'Why now?'"

Montana had the family blessing to speak about Mike on TV, and admitted his relatives have been left "shocked" by his passing.

She said: "I spoke to Mike's dad yesterday because I wanted to respect their wishes in coming here and speaking. They're as shocked as I am because I think they feel the same."

Read more: Celebrities pay tribute to tragic Love Island star

Mike had reportedly been in 'a dark place' and struggling to cope following the death of his grandmother, and his best friend last year.

Montana's comments come after ITV was forced to defend themselves when they came under fire from former contestants over their 'lack of after care' following the show.

A statement issued to Heart Online said: "Care for our Islanders is a process the show takes very seriously and is a continuous process for all those taking part in the show.

"We ensure that all of our contributors are able to access psychological support before, during and after appearing on the show. The programme will always provide ongoing support when needed and where appropriate.

"We also discuss at length with all of our Islanders, before and after the show, how their lives might change and they have access to support and advice to help with this."