TOWIE’s Kirk Norcross reveals he has left the ‘toxic’ world of reality TV behind in favour of setting up his own drain unblocking business after finding fame ‘brutal’
Kirk Norcross has revealed he has ditched the ‘toxic’ world of fame for his new drain unblocking business and he couldn’t be happier.
The former reality star, 31, found fame as one of the original castmembers of TOWIE and admitted he is ‘so glad’ he has now left that life behind.
Speaking to The Sun, Kirk said he found the world of fame to be a ‘brutal’ environment and has dramatically downsized his expenses since leaving it behind.
Change: Kirk Norcross, 31, has revealed he has ditched the ‘toxic’ world of fame for his new drain unblocking business and he couldn’t be happier
He said: ‘I used to buy Ferarris, expensive watches and designer jeans — now I’m happy with a £20 pair from Topman.
‘There is so much b******t going on when you live your life in the public eye. It can be toxic and you get surrounded by people who are fake and just hangers-on.
‘And it can be a very brutal environment. Now I get up, go to work, keep my head down and earn a living with a bigger smile on my face.’
Kirk admitted that appearing on reality TV turned him into a monster, but bosses didn’t want to do anything to help the monster they created.
Limelight: Kirk said he found the world of fame to be a ‘brutal’ environment and has dramatically downsized his expenses since leaving it behind (pictured in 2010)
Kirk, who previously appeared on Celebrity Big Brother, now runs his own business, KN Jet Services, out of his native Essex.
The TV star added that he has come off Twitter as he no longer wanted to be exposed to comments from social media trolls.
Kirk believes trolling can be particularly hard for young people who are on reality shows to deal with, particularly if they experience a dip in their level of fame.
He now hopes to use his experiences with fame to speak to schoolchildren about the dangers of online bullying.
He said: ‘I used to buy Ferarris, expensive watches and designer jeans — now I’m happy with a £20 pair from Topman’
Fame: Kirk admitted that appearing on reality TV turned him into a monster, but bosses didn’t want to do anything to help the monster they created (pictured in 2011)
The star previously admitted that he contemplated taking his own life and said he took ‘a load of sleeping pills and just wanted to drift away but it didn’t work’.
Kirk said he is happy to be alive as it means he can make a difference and he particularly wants to help men to become more comfortable talking about their feelings.
Kirk added that he sometimes sees re-runs of TOWIE and has to do a double take as his life is so different now to the way it was.
It comes after reports that Kirk is set to return for a TOWIE spin-off featuring the show’s original castmembers.
He said: ‘There is so much b******t going on when you live your life in the public eye. It can be toxic and you get surrounded by people who are fake and just hangers-on’ (pictured in 2013)
A source told The Sun that bosses were eager to get Kirk and his former flame Amy Childs to return alongside Mark Wright and Lauren Goodger, after the success of Geordie Shore’s recent spin-off.
It was first reported in June last year that ITVBe were looking to get the original TOWIE cast to return, as a source said: ‘TOWIE’s ten years anniversary is coming up next year and bosses want to mark it in some way.
‘It been a cultural phenomenon really and some of the original cast members have gone down in reality TV history.
‘No one is entirely sure what they will do or if any of the cast mates will agree to come back but at the moment it’s a case of never say never.’
Good cause: Kirk now hopes to use his experiences with fame to speak to schoolchildren about the dangers of online bullying