Thai cops probe death of British TV star in Phuket canal

2026-03-20 - 14:50

Thai police said Jordan Wright appeared to be in a distressed or agitated state, and that they believe he was unable to pull himself out before dying. (Instagram pic) PETALING JAYA: Thai police are investigating the death of British reality TV star Jordan Wright, whose body was found in a drainage canal near a hotel in Phuket. The Straits Times reported Thai police as saying that initial examinations found no signs of assault and that the 32-year-old British national was suspected to have fallen in by accident and been unable to climb out. Police said they were notified at about 2pm on Mar 14 that Wright’s body had been found face down in a canal in Thalang, Phuket. Police also recovered a hotel room key card. Wright, 33, from Basildon, has appeared on the popular British soap opera ‘The Only Way Is Essex’ in 2018 and on ‘Ex on the Beach’ in 2017. He was reported to have entered Thailand on Dec 3 and was due to depart on May 31. CCTV footage showed that Wright checked into the hotel alone, and was seen on March 12 pacing repeatedly before running out of the hotel at about 11.25pm, heading towards an unfinished construction area within the hotel grounds. He then ran into a drainage canal about 1.6m deep, which police said measures about 2m from ground level to the canal bed, making it difficult to climb out, especially at night. Wright appeared to be in a distressed or agitated state, police said, and it is believed he was unable to pull himself out before dying. Further forensic evidence is being gathered to determine the cause of death.