Darius Danesh Campbell had found love again in the months before his death, a close friend revealed. The Pop Idol star, who died in August aged 41, was in a relationship with US entrepreneur Lauren Cheek.
In a series of unseen pictures posted on Lauren’s social media, the loved-up couple look happy and relaxed. They can be seen hugging and kissing in beachside locations in California.
There is also a snap of them together at Edinburgh Castle on a visit back to Scotland. Darius died on August 11 after being found unresponsive in an apartment opposite the medical facility The Mayo Clinic in Minneapolis.
Posting a tribute a week later, Lauren, who runs a coaching and creative agency for women called Forward Female, wrote on her Instagram: “My best friend, my love, my soul mate - and now my angel.
"Nothing can put into words the pain and shock I’m feeling without you. It still just doesn’t feel real. I love you forever & ever.”
In a message sent to friend Chris Cochran in July, Darius described Lauren as “the angel in my life, that is my love, the woman I listen to and trust.”
Darius had been married to Canadian actress and model Natasha Henstridge, 48. The pair married in 2011 and then divorced in 2018.
He also was in relationships with model Jacqui Ainsley, 40, and Claire Caudwell, 53, the former wife of Phones4U billionaire John Caudwell, 70.
Darius died from “inhalation of chloroethane” - a topical anaesthetic and, when inhaled, is sometimes used as a recreational drug. His death was ruled an accident.
His family released a statement explaining that he’d been in “chronic pain” for years.
They said, “The results of medical examinations have confirmed that Darius’s death was an accident caused by chloroethane, which is used to treat pain and that tragically lead to respiratory arrest. Darius was suffering from chronic neck pain following a car accident in 2010.”
Chris was one of the last people to speak Darius. Giving a rare insight into how Darius was in his final days, Chris, 60, says he was in great spirits and looking forward to the future.
“He was happy,” revealed Chris. “Everything was going well. He was enjoying a relationship with an old friend that he started dating again. He wasn’t depressed.
“He was happy. He wanted to spend some time in Scotland. He was supposed to do the X Factor reunion.”
The pair bonded over holistic therapies after they were introduced by a mutual friend, with Chris coaching Darius on breath work.
“We communicated daily for the last couple of months before his death on Skype and WhatApp. He was greatly interested in my work and wanted to make a documentary about me.
“He was in constant pain from a car crash he’d had over 10 years ago. I was teaching him about how to breathe and channel that energy to get rid of that pain and heal himself.
“I feel like he’s being misrepresented. He wasn’t a drug abuser. He was a wonderful human being who wanted to change the world. I lost a dear friend and the world lost a great man.”
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