Take Me Out contestant ‘killed himself after losing job over the show’

A Take Me Out contestant killed himself after losing his job for appearing on the show, it has been reported.

During the latest series of the ITV show, we saw Charlie Watkins from North Yorkshire drop down the love lift.

Charlie got a date on the show with 22-year-old Jo Tara from Glasgow, and the pair headed for the Isle of Fernando’s.

However it was revealed that sadly Charlie passed away in March, four months after the scenes in the studio were filmed in November the previous year.

Host Paddy McGuinness tweeted at the time: “Tonight’s Take Me Out is in memory of Charlie. A fantastic lad who I’m sure will be greatly missed by his wonderful friends & family. RIP.”

Charlie – aka The Chaz Man – had just landed his dream job at a chocolate museum.

However, an inquest into his death heard how he killed himself after being sacked for taking time off to appear on the show.

A friend told the hearing in York: “He really loved his job at the chocolate factory – he was happy.

“But when he went to go film for the Take Me Out TV programme, he lost his job – they terminated his contract.

“He then had nothing to do apart from stay around the house and play on the XBOX and Playstation.”

The court heard that Charlie had a history of self harming having suffered from depression since his mother died.

The coroner said Charlie was a “witty, charming and a considerate young man” who lost his life in a “sad set of circumstances”.

A family statement told the Daily Mail newspaper earlier this year: “We have lost a very special young man who sadly never recovered from the tragic loss of his mother when he was only 9 years old.

“Tragically this is another example of the mental health issues suffered by young people today as highlighted by the Heads Together campaign supported by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry.”

The family have invited donations to charity MIND via an onine Memorial page with over £12,000 raised to date.

A spokesperson for Take Me Out makers Thames TV said in a short statement: “This is a tragic incident and our sympathy is with Charlie’s family”

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