Wife Swap man died from overdose

A depressed father who was in the TV show Wife Swap died from a drink and drugs overdose after his marriage ended and he lost his job, an inquest heard.

Simon Foster, 40, starred in the Channel 4 reality show with his wife Jane last October. Viewers were told they had split after it was filmed.

He was found collapsed at a sheltered housing block in Brighton, East Sussex.

The inquest at Brighton County Court was told he had consumed methadone and alcohol before his death on 15 April.

The father-of-two was found to be almost six times over the drink drive limit after drinking alcohol which included brandy and strong lager.

'Fell asleep'

Anti-depressant drugs were also detected in his body.

The court heard that four days before his death he visited his GP who noted he had multiple problems in his life such as the split from his wife and children and the loss of his home.

When he died he had been sharing a room with his friend Paul Johnson at the sheltered accommodation block at Walter May House in Brighton.

Mr Johnson dialled 999 when he found him collapsed after they had spent the day drinking heavily, telling the emergency operator that he had given Mr Foster some of his methadone supply before they both fell asleep.

Dr Mara Quante, a consultant histopathologist, told the inquest that the cause of death was from poisoning through a combination of methadone, alcohol and prescription drugs.

'Dependent personality'

Brighton and Hove coroner Veronica Hamilton-Deeley recorded a verdict of accidental overdose.

She said she was satisfied Mr Foster had not deliberately intended to take his own life through overdosing.

"It's very clear to me that Mr Foster found himself homeless, jobless and that having a somewhat dependent personality, started on a course of abusing alcohol and other drugs."

She added that he tried to get his life back on track to some extent by referring himself to a local substance misuse team.

At the time of his death, Channel 4 said there was no evidence to suggest the breakdown of the marriage was linked to the couple's appearance on Wife Swap.