Simon Foster, 40, a popular father of two, died in a flat in Whitehawk
A star of reality TV show Wife Swap has
been found dead after a suspected drug overdose.
The body of Simon Foster was found in a flat in
Whitehawk after his marriage collapsed. Mr Foster,
a father of two, appeared in the eighth series of the
Channel 4 programme in October last year.
The angle promoted by programme-makers RDF
was that Simon and his wife Jane lived an alternative
lifestyle. But after the programme was screened Mr
Foster's life spiralled out of control, he lost his job as a
van driver and became homeless. Police have begun
an investigation into the 40-year-old's death.
Last night the makers of Wife Swap defended the
way they handled the couple and said they had
offered him help after the show was aired. The Wife
Swap website gives a taster of RDF's view of the
Fosters' way of life. It says: "The free-spirited Fosters
are a family with a difference - Jane and Simon both
have girlfriends outside of the marriage.
"Mum Jane sleeps in the bedroom while dad
Simon sleeps on the sofa. Despite their unusual
arrangement Simon and Jane feel the relationship
works for them and continue to live together in their
Brighton home with their two children."
Jane had to live with the Hendersons, Rob and his
two teenage sons, in Bourne End, near Windsor,
Berkshire, for nine days.
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In an interview with The Argus the day before the
Wife Swap episode was aired, Mrs Foster said: "The
family I stayed with were very different to us - a traditional
family with an extremely Victorian method
of bringing up their kids and running their home.
While Mrs Foster was in Berkshire, Debbie Henderson came down to
Brighton to live with Mr Foster,
their children aged seven and
nine, two dogs and five cats.
On the filming of the programme,
Mrs Foster said: "The
TV company has an image of
you they want to portray and
they goad you into behaving
how they want you to behave.
"There's an awful lot of pressure
on you in the two months
leading up to filming. I was away
for nine days but the programme
disrupts your life for several
months. From the moment you
wake up to the moment you go to
bed you are mic'ed up. You can
take the mic off when you go to
the toilet and that's it. You aren't
allowed to have contact with
your own family. I missed my
kids terribly."
The Foster family underwent
huge changes after filming, part
of which was shown in followup
programme Wife Swap: The
Aftermath, which Mr Foster
refused to appear in.
Mrs Foster moved near her
girlfriend in Derbyshire with
the children. The Fosters
divorced and sold their home in
Brighton. Mr Foster was found
dead in a flat in Whitehawk on
April 15. A friend, who did not
wish to be named, said: "Simon
was a good man who loved his
kids. He hit a bad patch after the
divorce and started taking
drugs. I'm sure his death was an
accidental overdose."
A spokeswoman for RDF
Media Group, the makers of
Wife Swap said: "All Wife Swap
contributors are offered support
both during and after filming
and this care was of course
available to Simon Foster. Our
sincere condolences go out to
Simon's family at this time."
An inquest into Mr Foster's
death will be held in Brighton
on July 24.
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