Shay Razaei’s former Instant Hotel teammate Mikey Gelo has confirmed her tragic death.
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia on Sunday, the Channel Seven reality TV star said Shay passed away two weeks ago at age 33, and that her funeral was held last Wednesday.
In recent days, Shay’s Instagram has been flooded with comments speculating that the brunette committed suicide as a result of relentless online bullying.
‘I had a bad feeling this would happen one day’: Instant Hotel’s Mikey Gelo (left) has confirmed his former co-star Shay Razaei (right) has died following an alleged battle with drugs
Mikey, who does not know how Shay died, believes it’s likely her death wasn’t by suicide, but rather an ‘accidental overdose’.
‘I do not believe it was online bullying, I have heard from multiple sources she was using drugs heavily and some other contestants of the show were very worried of her behaviour,’ he said.
‘I do not believe she is the type that would take her own life intentionally. In fact, she loved the online trolls and would often instigate them and never block abusive accounts,’ Mikey continued.
Tragic: Mikey, who heard about Shay’s death through a friend, said: ‘I had not spoken to her for years since the show, but was hopeful she would get better one day. I’m sure with medication this could have been prevented’. Pictured: Shay and Mikey
Shay and Mikey appeared together as the ‘villain’ team on Instant Hotel in 2017, but Mikey says they drifted apart since the show finished.
Hearing about Shay’s death through a friend, Mikey said: ‘I had not spoken to her for years since the show, but was hopeful she would get better one day. I’m sure with medication this could have been prevented.’
Mikey also said he wasn’t entirely surprised to hear the news of Shay’s tragic death.
‘It’s very sad to finally get the news I expected’: Mikey he wasn’t entirely surprised to hear the news of Shay’s tragic death. Pictured: Shay and Mikey
‘I had a bad feeling this would happen one day. It’s very sad to finally get the news I expected. But even though we had not spoken for years I will always cherish the fun times,’ he said.
Reflecting on his former friendship with Shay, Mikey said that, while the brunette ‘was difficult to be around and pushed many people away from her’, she had a good heart and was the ‘life of the party’.
Over the past few days, the Channel Seven reality star’s Instagram account has been flooded with condolence messages which appeared to confirm her death.
Reflection: Mikey said that, while Shay (pictured) ‘was difficult to be around and pushed many people away from her’, she had a good heart and was the ‘life of the party’
‘Rest In Peace angel girl. Eternal love’, one person commented on her latest post.
‘You were such a beautiful charismatic soul… Rest in peace beautiful girl,’ another added.
Many of these comments also referred to ‘online haters and bullies’.
Shay’s last Instagram post, a close-up photo of herself smiling at the camera, was uploaded on May 31.
Over the past few days, the Channel Seven reality star’s Instagram account account has been flooded with messages appearing to confirm her death. Many of these comments refer to ‘online haters and bullies’
The caption read: ‘I know they hate it, but I can’t help feeling blessed… Sorry, no shame here. Also to all my beautiful followers who I may not always reply but your messages are [love heart emojis] you guys blow me away.’
She completed the post using hashtags including ‘haters unite, ‘love my peeps’, ‘feeling myself’ and ‘goodbye May’.
Shay, who was a mental health advocate and ambassador for children’s charity Friend In Me, has been a victim of cyberbullying since she found fame three years ago.
Shay’s last Instagram post (pictured), a close-up photo of herself smiling at the camera, was uploaded on May 31
Back in 2017, Shay revealed to New Idea magazine that her late fiancé Tamim had drowned during a trip to Mammoth Lakes, California not long before she auditioned for Instant Hotels.
‘I came to a point very early on in my fiance’s passing, where I had to sit down with myself and say: “Shay, either you stop living, because right now you’re not living. Either you jump in the grave with him, or you live.” So I auditioned for Instant Hotels,’ she told the publication at the time.
The former paramedic, who hailed from Sydney suburb West Pennant Hills, was cast on the show and appeared alongside her friend Mikey.
Back in 2017, Shay (right) revealed to New Idea magazine that her late fiancé Tamim (left) had drowned during a trip to Mammoth Lakes, California not long before she auditioned for Instant Hotels
She also told the magazine that she’d dropped 10kgs during the grieving process, as she regularly forgot to eat.
‘You remember to eat when you’re about to pass out,’ she explained.
The death of her partner, who she had been dating since 2011, was the only tragedy the reality TV star had suffered.
During her interview, Shay (pictured) also admitted she’d dropped 10kgs during the grieving process, as she regularly forgot to eat
Shay was also forced to come to grips with the deaths of two others who were close to her.
‘My stepsister also passed away in the same year and one of my best friends committed suicide shortly after [Tamim’s death],’ Shay told New Idea magazine.
Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Channel Seven for comment.
Shay (pictured) was also forced to come to grips with the deaths of her stepsister and another close friend around the same time as her fiance’s passing