Death a reality for Wife Swap participant

A UK father of two whose marriage collapsed after he and his wife appeared on Wife Swap last year has been found dead.

Simon Foster, a 40-year-old van driver, is thought to have died from a drugs overdose. His body was discovered in his Brighton flat and police were continuing their investigation.

His marriage to Jane fell apart after the Channel 4 programme was broadcast last October and the couple later divorced.

Jane later criticised the programme makers, RDF Media Group, saying: “The TV company has an image of you they want to portray and they goad you into behaving how they want you to behave.

“There’s an awful lot of pressure on you in the two months leading up to the filming. I was away nine days but it disrupts your life for several months.”

The Fosters were billed as a couple with an alternative lifestyle, Foster’s wife was presented as bisexual with a girlfriend. Mr Foster shared his home with Debbie Henderson, from Windsor, while his wife moved in with Rob Henderson and his two children.

After the show Mr Foster lost his job and became homeless while his wife moved with her children to Derbyshire to be closer to her girlfriend’s home.

A friend said: “Simon was a good man who loved his kids. He hit a bad patch after the divorce and started taking drugs. I’m sure his death was an accidental overdose.”

RDF offered condolences to Mr Foster’s family.

A spokeswoman said: “All Wife Swap contributors are offered support both during and after filming and this care was, of course, offered to Simon Foster.”

His death is not the first time a tragedy has been associated with a reality show, including the suicide of a teenager who had previously appeared on Australian-UK reality series The Colony, another involved with Pirate Master. A former US talk show guest on Jenny Jones murdered a same-sex ‘secret crush’ when he felt humiliated on national TV.

Even Danny Bonaduce slashed his wrists during Breaking Bonaduce (he’s a great role model for My Kid’s a Star).

An inquest into Foster’s death (on April 15) will be held on July 24.

Source: telegraph.co.uk