Darius Danesh Campbell found love again with an American entrepreneur months before his death, a friend has revealed.
The Glasgow-born Pop Idol star died in August at the age of 41 after being found unresponsive in an apartment opposite the medical facility The Mayo Clinic in Minneapolis.
He had been in a relationship with US entrepreneur Lauren Cheek for a number of months. Lauren shared a number of moving pictures on her Instagram of the couple looking happy and relaxed in California, the Daily Record reports.
READ MORE: American Airlines jet diverts to Glasgow Airport after mid-flight emergency
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 and ever."
Darius described Lauren as “the angel in my life, that is my love, the woman I listen to and trust" in a message to his friend Chris Cochran in July.
He had previously been married to Canadian actress and model Natasha Henstridge, 48, in 2011 before they divorced in 2018.
Darius died from “inhalation of chloroethane” - a topical anaesthetic - with his death ruled an accident.
His family released a statement explaining that he had been suffering with 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."
One of the last people to speak to Darius, Chris, 60, said he was in great spirits and looking forward to the future.
“He was happy,” he said. “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.”
Darius and Chris 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.”
READ NEXT:
63-year-old pedestrian killed in Mercedes crash horror as major road remains closed
Glasgow mugger in hi-vis vest attacked middle aged woman in broad daylight robbery
Man's skull fractured in 'savage' murder bid by man with 22 previous convictions
Family say five-year-old treated in unsafe Glasgow hospital room before she died
Glasgow man seriously injured in late-night Castlemilk attack
