Coronation Street star Tony Maudsley has been left "devastated" after his friend and former Benidorm colleague, Michael McGarrigle, was found dead after going missing in Glasgow. Michael, who worked as a costume supervisor on the ITV series, was last seen in the early hours of Sunday morning.
On Tuesday evening, Tony took to social media with a plea for help in the search for Michael, In the statement, Tony described Michael as a "valued member" of the "Benidorm family", having worked on the show for many years, and shared concerns from his friends and family.
In the early hours of Wednesday morning, Tony announced the sad news that Michael had passed away. Sharing a photo of the pair, Tony, who played hairdresser Kenneth Du Beke in the sitcom, penned: "Thank you so much to everyone for all your efforts in reposting our appeal to find Michael yesterday. I'm so sad to say that we found out late last night that we've lost our beautiful friend. Our whole Benidorm family is devastated and we'll miss him hugely. RIP Michael."
Fans rushed to the comments section to share their condolences, with one person writing: "So very sorry to hear this sad news Tony. I send my condolences to you & his family," while another penned: "I'm sorry to hear of such sad news. Love and condolences to you and all Michael's family and friends."
A third follower commented: "Sorry for the loss, Tony. Sending my best wishes to you, the Benidorm cast, and Michael's loved ones."
Tony's sad announcement came just hours after he had shared a photo of Michael, along with a message from his friends and family: "This is our friend Michael McGarrigle. Michael is a valued member of our Benidorm family having worked on the show as our costume supervisor for many years. He has been missing for several days, last seen in the early hours of Sunday morning in the Glasgow area."
"We, his friends and family are extremely concerned for his safety and would appeal to anyone who may have seen him in the last 48 hours to contact Glasgow Police."
Tony and Michael were colleagues on ITV's Benidorm, which first premiered back in 2007 and ran until 2018. The show follows holidaymakers and staff at the Solana Resort in the titular Spanish holiday town, featuring an ensemble cast including Steve Pemberton, Siobhan Finneran and Johnny Vegas.
Tony first joined the show in 2011 and remained a regular until its end in 2018. Since then, Tony has gone on to star in Coronation Street as George Shuttleworth, making his debut in 2020.