Shelby Tribble and Clelia Theodorou say Mike Thalassitis’ death "really hit home".
The ‘Only Way Is Essex’ stars say they were "hit hard" by the tragic news that ‘Love Island’ star Mike had taken his own life at the age of 26 earlier this month, and admit pressures from their show have left them feeling "stressed out" and with "a lot of worries" at times.
Speaking to The Sun Online, Clelia said: "Everyone has been hit hard, even people who didn’t know Mike. It’s so horrible because it’s one of the biggest tragedies I’ve ever seen.
"He was good looking and such a lovely guy with so much to offer. It really hit home. You never know what people are going through.
"There are times when me and Shelby have been at very low points, stressed out and had a lot of worries, but no one would have been able to tell. It’s hard."
Best pal Shelby added: "We’re really lucky because everyone at Lime Pictures and ‘TOWIE’ give us so much support and really look after us."
Fellow ‘TOWIE’ cast member Georgia Kousoulou recently admitted the reality star’s death "really hit home" after her boyfriend Tommy Mallet’s own mental health battle.
She said: "Do you know what, mental health is a hard thing, god bless Mike and his family. That really shook me up. It really hit home for me because Tommy was in that place.
"He was in a bad way through summer, it really scared me because I wish Mike would have opened up to anyone, or even me.
"I didn’t know him but I had gone through it with Tommy and it really upset me, it’s not something I can speak loosely about."