Jack Fowler wants to install a memorial plaque to Mike Thalassitis at the gym they used to work in.
Jack Fowler
The 'Love Island' contestant - who says he was inspired to enter the dating show following his friend's appearance the year before - wants to have a permanent memory of Mike at their old place of work, following his tragic death last week.
He said: "Mike was a lovely guy, very down to earth, very humble, liked to party, girls dropping at his feet, he was young and had this fame but without the right guidance, like anyone, something tragic can happen and unfortunately it has."
And Jack admits his life, too, changed when he left the ITV2 dating show, which has singletons move into a villa in sunny Spain in the hopes of finding love in the sun.
He added to The Sun Online: "It is such a difference in life, this time 12 months ago I was working as a personal trainer. I had something like 3000 followers on Instagram, I thought that was a lot, now my name is known nationwide, there is a lot more pressure, more of a following and more of an expectation. People sometimes don't deal with that in the right way and they can go off the rails. You are exposed to more partying, more alcohol. It takes a certain mindset to say 'that is not me'. You need someone there to guide you."
Mike tragically passed away on Friday (15.03.19) in a woodland near his home in Essex.