Mike Thalassitis’ business partner will go ahead with the opening of a cafe they planned together, he has confirmed.
The former Love Island star was found dead in a park near his north London home last weekend, at the age of 26.
Prior to his death, Mike had planned to launch The Skillet in Loughton, Essex, with Scott Neilson.
In a post to Instagram, Scott confirmed he would still be going ahead with the opening because “Mike would’ve wanted this cafe to open”.
He said: “Just to address all the speculation. I would like to make it clear that we will be opening The Skillet when it is ready, it has been a tough week trying to continue to sort things out.
“However, Mike would’ve wanted this cafe to open, he spent every day for the past couple of months working hard to make this place a success, so we are pulling together to get this ready for everyone and especially for Mike.”
He added: “Can’t wait to share it with you all and I will announce the date of the opening shortly.”
Following Mike’s death last Saturday, many former Love Island stars spoke out against the aftercare support they received after appearing on the show.
ITV later announced they would be introducing “bespoke” social media and financial training for future contestants, as well as being more proactive in their approach to checking in with former Islanders, following an independent review of their processes.
A spokesperson said: “This review has led us to extend our support processes to offer therapy to all Islanders and not only those that reach out to us.
“The key focus will be for us to no longer be reliant on the islanders asking us for support but for us to proactively check in with them on a regular basis.”
Mike rose to fame after appearing on the third series of the ITV2 reality show in 2017, and went on to take part in Celebs Go Dating last year.
Useful websites and helplines:
- Mind, open Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm on 0300 123 3393
- Samaritans offers a listening service which is open 24 hours a day, on 116 123 (UK and ROI - this number is FREE to call and will not appear on your phone bill.)
- The Mix is a free support service for people under 25. Call 0808 808 4994 or email: help@themix.org.uk
- Rethink Mental Illness offers practical help through its advice line which can be reached on 0300 5000 927 (open Monday to Friday 10am-4pm). More info can be found on www.rethink.org.