Friends of Jordan Wright say farewell as TOWIE star is laid to rest after he was found dead in Thailand drainage ditch

Friends of former The Only Way Is Essex star Jordan Wright said they will ‘never forget’ him as he was laid to rest weeks after he was found dead in Thailand.

The 33-year-old man, who also appeared in Ex On The Beach, was discovered lying face down by a Burmese farmer in a drainage canal in Phuket’s Thalang District on March 14.

His body was returned to his home town of Essex and a post-mortem examination was carried out at Basildon Hospital but the results of toxicology tests are not yet available.

The inquest into his death was opened earlier this week and adjourned until September 14.

On Friday morning, Jordan’s loved ones paid their respects to him at a funeral service held at a quaint 12th-century church in Stanford-le-Hope before he was buried nearby.

Numerous floral tributes were placed around the site, one shaped like an anchor and another reading ‘Jordan’.

After the ceremony, a close friend described the event as a “beautiful send-off.”

Posting on social media, he said: ‘I still can’t believe you’re not here bro, I need your sultry smile to cheer me up. I love you buddy.

‘Rest in absolute peace and party hard there. I will never forget you.’

Numerous flowers were presented in the 33-year-old man’s honor, one shaped like an anchor and the other with the word ‘Jordan’ written on it.

Another wrote: ‘He was such a lovely boy, still pouring his heart out about it’, while a third said: ‘Relax mate, you’ll be missed.’

Wednesday’s inquest heard Wright was ‘spending time in Thailand’ before his death.

Wright, who appeared in eight episodes of MTV’s Ex On The Beach in 2017 and 17 episodes of TOWIE the following year, was also seen acting erratically in memorable images shortly before his death.

CCTV showed him looking over his shoulder as he ran to his hotel on Phuket island shortly before midnight on March 12.

Police said the circumstances leading to Wright’s death were ‘unclear’ and it was possible ‘other people were involved’.

The police are investigating whether the person who returned to the hotel where he was staying in a hurry was running away from another person.

CCTV showed Wright holding on to a white Toyota pickup truck to steady himself as he rounded a corner.

He then continued to run erratically around the grounds of the four-star Hotel COCO Phuket Bangtao Beach, where rooms cost around £23 a night.

Wright, who arrived in Thailand on a digital nomad visa in December, was seen walking back and forth, then running out of the hotel area again and into the surrounding fields.

He was found dead in a drainage ditch at a construction site by a Burmese worker two days later. It was said that he was lying face down in still water.

There are no CCTV cameras in the barren land where his body was found.

Lieutenant Colonel Sutthirak Chuthong of Choeng Thale district station said: ‘The circumstances leading to the death are highly unclear. ‘It is possible that other people were also involved.’

A source at the hotel said Wright was left alone and had no guests.

They added: ‘He used to go out at night like the other guests. There was nothing unusual as long as we couldn’t find him when he needed to check out.’

Police officers said a Myanmar worker harvesting vegetables found Wright’s body and alerted authorities.

While his new iPhone 17 was thought to be in a nearby bank, he had a hotel key card belonging to Hotel COCO Phuket Bangtao in his pocket.

Officers later found Wright’s beloved white Kawasaki motorcycle, which he had ridden around the island, parked at the hotel.

Hotel staff told police that he was checking out on March 13, but they were unable to reach him.

Hotel COCO Phuket Bangtao Beach is rated four stars according to Booking.com and offers ‘spacious rooms with private balconies and modern amenities’.

It describes itself as ‘perfect for romantic getaways’ and is located around a five to ten minute walk from the white sandy beach.

There is a large outdoor swimming pool, various wellness facilities and a hot tub.

Lieutenant Colonel Thongchai Matitham added: ‘Hotel records showed he checked in alone and was due to check out on March 13, but staff reported he never checked out.

CCTV footage showed him appearing restless and pacing back and forth in front of the hotel before leaving the area.

‘His movements eventually led him to the location where his body was later discovered.

‘We are still waiting for autopsy results from Vachira Phuket Hospital to determine whether drugs were found in his system. The case is still under investigation.’

Sharp-jawed firefighter Wright, from Basildon, became a huge hit with fans after flirting with Courtney Green and engaging in an explosive on-screen fight with ex-boyfriend Myles Barnett.

However, it was later reported that he had been fired from the ITV soap amid allegations that he had taken paid sick leave from the London Fire Brigade to film the show.

He later quit reality TV altogether to return to his job as a firefighter.

In an Instagram post the star shared in 2023, which resurfaced after her death, she talked about how reality TV left her “failed, stagnant and lost” and purposeless.

Former TOWIE star posts photos of his beloved white Kawasaki motorbike which he rode around the island before his sudden death

Wright, who appeared in eight episodes of MTV’s Ex On The Beach and 17 episodes of TOWIE, was seen displaying erratic behavior in camera footage before his death.

In the post, he reflected on his time with the London Fire Brigade.

Alongside a trio of photos showing his inauguration, the firefighter wrote an emotional caption: ‘Today is an incredibly emotional day for me, to say the least. I was 19 years old when I first joined the fire department…

‘I had [an] I had an enjoyable career for six years before resigning to pursue a life in the spotlight of reality TV. A choice that left me largely unfinished, stagnant, and lost.

‘People think it’s all show and show but the reality is so far from the public perception, I really struggled. When I left I lost so much of myself and my sense of purpose.

‘Those of you close to me understand how hard I struggle to find direction…

‘I am grateful to each of you who have walked the winding path of uncertainty where you may never realize how important your support is. You mean the absolute world to me. ‘Salvation is a path that we all walk at some stage in our lives.’

Wright rejoined the fire service as part of the ‘redemption arc’, but later left to pursue a career in financial investment.

On his LinkedIn profile, he was listed as a director of London-based firm Hampton Gate Wealth, a ’boutique promoter focusing on alternative fixed income strategies for qualified investors’.

He appears to have spent several weeks in Thailand before his death; There have been references to his ‘new life’ in the country on social media, with videos showing him riding a fast motorbike, spending time at the beach and indulging in martial arts training.

The inquest into Wright’s death was opened this week and postponed until September pending the results of toxicology reports

The last post, dated March 6, included a photo of her relaxing in an infinity pool with a glass of wine, as well as videos of boating, posing on a motorcycle, scuba diving, and eating local food while overlooking the natural scenery.

Tributes poured in from reality stars and friends after Wright’s death was announced by Thai authorities.

His former manager Alex Shafiq told the Daily Mail that Wright was a “fun kid” who “lit up any room with his smile”.

He said: ‘I’m a good judge of character and I knew Wright was a great person from the moment I met him.

‘He was a very handsome lad with a wonderful, wide smile. ‘He tried TV for a while but DJing was his real passion, that’s what he wanted to focus on.’

Close friend and DJ Stuart Hart said: ‘Wright was a really lovely lad, always happy and fun to be around, whether he was coming to my gigs or DJing at my parties, he was always supportive, always up for a good time. [He was] One of the good ones.”