Kirk Norcross was the rich TOWIE party boy constantly partying and surrounded by women.
But behind the Sugar Hut honeys and champagne sparklers was a darker side to his time on The Only Way Is Essex.
Kirk, 32, is embracing a very different life after the "toxic" fame of TOWIE turned him into a "monster".
He was recently spotted cleaning the driveway of the £1.3 million Essex home of former co-star and friend James Argent.
Wearing wellies and workman's clothes, Kirk hopped out of his jet service company's van and got to work.
It's a stark contrast to his expensive suit-wearing days at the Sugar Hut, but Kirk admitted he prefers unblocking drains after revealing the heartbreaking reason he quit the show.
Having started in the original TOWIE cast in 2010, Kirk left after the third series and appeared in Celebrity Big Brother in 2012.
In September that year he made a brief return to the Essex-based ITVBe show but made a sudden exit just six months later.
Announcing the news on Twitter, he cryptically said: "Just to let everyone know, I have walked away from TOWIE and will not be returning.
"The show had changed too much. I will let you know the details soon."
He later added: "The decision to leave #TOWIE was mine and there is reason behind my action which I'm not prepared to have manipulated in the media anymore.
"I'm not a character, this is my life & its the way certain situations over the last few weeks have been portrayed which left me with no choice."
In 2019, Kirk made the heartbreaking confession that he tried to take his own life when his time in the spotlight left him struggling from severe anxiety and depression.
Kirk claimed he was 'pimped out' by TV bosses who 'piled him with booze' while being pushed into making decisions he didn't agree with.
Claiming he was given "zero aftercare," he told The Sun on Sunday : "Reality TV turned me into a monster but the bosses didn’t want to look after the monster they created.
"I’d cry on set and say, ‘Please don’t make me do these things’, but I always had to.
“I’ve thought about killing myself so many times because of what those shows did to me.
“Last year I came seconds away but I thought of my son’s face. He saved my life."
Kirk, who is dad to daughter Violett and son Harry, said he is happy to be alive and wants to help men to become more comfortable talking about their feelings.
The former Sugar Hut worker added that he sometimes watches old episodes of TOWIE and has to do a double take as his life is completely different now.
Kirk alleges that ITV bosses would push him into making decisions he wasn't sure about, and threaten to kick him off the show should he decline.
These included breaking up with then girlfriend Lauren Pope on screen despite promising her he wouldn't, and even missing his last opportunity to see his granddad on his deathbed.
They also reportedly encouraged him to ditch his normal persona and "come across flash".
In response, ITV said: “The welfare of everyone involved in the making of our programmes is of paramount importance to us and appropriate psych support is available to all cast throughout their time with us and beyond.”
In February this year, Kirk spoke further about the price of fame and explained he was surrounded by people "who are fake and just hangers-on."
The former reality star said the celebrity world "can be a very brutal environment" and he suffered some "dark, dark times".
Opening up about his heartbreaking suicide bid, brave Kirk said he "just wanted to drift away but it didn't work."
Kirk also called out social media trolls as being the biggest bane on being famous and he quit Twitter completely after he was targeted with nasty messages.
He said: "People on Twitter can be so cruel. They say stuff they’d never dream of saying to your face."
Determined to turn his life around, Kirk has now completely abandoned the glamour of reality stardom in favour of "earning a living through hard work" as a manual laborour.
The dad-of-two runs KN Jet Services in Essex and confessed he "wouldn’t swap things for the world."
He was rumoured to be taking part in a TOWIE reunion special alongside former rival Mark Wright and ex Amy Childs.
But the coronavirus pandemic has resulted in a delay for the celebrations and left the reunion up in the air.
An insider told OK! Magazine: "It's a real blow for the producers, they thought they would make TV gold with the old cast reuniting but they just can't make it work.
"Of course they understand the severity of coronavirus and don't want to put anybody at risk so have decided it's best to call it off for now.
"That's not to say that it won't happen in the future, but for the time being they've decided it's best to put it on hold.
Kirk has given a stark warning to any fans considering a life of fame, telling them to "think twice".
He credits his girlfriend Dani Carr and their son Harry, two, and daughter Violett, three, from a previous relationship, for helping him through tough times.
Kirk confessed that it was only when he left it all behind that he was finally able to be happy.
Samaritans (116 123) operates a 24-hour service available every day of the year. If you prefer to write down how you’re feeling, or if you’re worried about being overheard on the phone, you can email Samaritans at jo@samaritans.org
