MARK Wright has spoken openly about texting James Argent to end their long friendship.
It came as Arg battled drug addiction and Mark feared his friend was going to die.
The pair have been best friends for years and first came into the public eye, starring on reality show, The Only Way Is Essex.
But as Arg battled drug addiction, Mark reveals he was forced to dish out some tough love to help his friend.
Mark, 33, told Loose Women: "He got to the rehab centre, he called me from their phone and said 'I'm leaving, what have you done? Why have you done this?'
"I said 'Arg this is the only route, you need to do this' – cause he wouldn't listen to us, he wouldn't take the help.
"And then he left of his own accord, he took a train home.
Describing his desperation, Mark went on: "So I called up the guy from there and said 'what can I do? I've taken every step I can, I've got him to the rehab, he's not staying there. "ow can I physically make him do this?'
"And he just said to me – 'sometimes you just have to let them hit rock bottom and they have to know they need help. Because if an addict doesn't want the help you can't do nothing about it.
"But then I was like what if he dies? And the answer the guy said to me literally was it's the risk you're willing, the risk you have to take."
It was at this point that Mark made a tough decision.
"Then I said to him, I texted him and said 'You're not getting my help any more, I'm done. I'm through with this, you're not affecting my life any more'… obviously I didn't mean that, but I had to scare him," explained Mark, who was chatting to the Loose Women panel via video link.
"Then on boxing day he texted me and said 'I'm ready, I've hit rock bottom, I need to go to rehab.'
"So I got on the phone to a rehab centre I'd researched in Thailand and I booked it for him the next day – and he got on the plane and he went."
Arg, 32, appeared on This Morning last month and discussed his cocaine battle and recent weight loss.
After a ten-week stint in rehab, he is now five months sober and has lost five stone.
Arg opened up to hosts Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes about his secret drug battle and how girlfriend Gemma Collins and his friends brought him back to life.
"I really feel for Gemma because she has had to go through so much," said tearful Arg.
"When I was deep in my addiction I would hate her.
"I would say, 'why are you telling my family, why are you telling me friends, why are you tellig the bosses of the TV shows? You're going to ruin my career.'
"But she refused to cover up for me. She refused to lie for me, she would never cover up or enable to continue in my addiction."
He also recently revealed he'd suffered two near-fatal overdoses at home.
Gemma, 39, called the emergency services to help her other half — and the door had to be kicked in to save him.
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