A GRANDAD who was allegedly murdered just hours into a stag do cruise to Belgium has been remembered as a “legend”.
James Messham, 60, died following an “altercation” on board the MSC Virtuosa around 8.30pm on Saturday.
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The luxury ship was still in British waters after leaving Southampton, Hants, at 6pm enroute to Bruges.
Police arrested a 57-year-old man from Exeter on suspicion of murder when the two-night cruise returned on Monday.
Mr Messham is understood to have been travelling with relatives who helped him run popular motorbike stunt show the Wall of Death.
Joby Carter described him as a “proper gent” who was part of Carter’s Steam Fair until around eight years ago.
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He said: “I was absolutely gutted when I heard the news. He was a legend.
“We used to travel Carter’s Steam Fair. He approached us because he had a wall of death and wanted to travel with us.
“We always got along with him. He was a proper gent, salt of the earth.
“You knew if you had a problem he would come and help you any time day or night.
“He was such a trier and did really well in the haulage business as well.
“Travelling the Wall of Death is a labour of love. You’ve got to love it.
“They stopped travelling with us about eight years ago. I still spoke to him a couple of times a year.
“You couldn’t watch that show without the hairs on your arms coming up.”
An on-board army medic is believed to have treated stunt performer Mr Messham, who also rode motorbikes as part of the daredevil show.
His family in Sussex were too upset to speak – but some relatives have posted touching pictures in memory of their dad on Facebook.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary released the arrested suspect on bail on Tuesday afternoon.
Among shocked guests was Traitors winner Harry Clark, who was enjoying a long weekend with his girlfriend and pals on MSC Virtuosa.
Like many other passengers, the reality TV star had no idea about the tragic death until later on.
A source said: “Harry is clearly very shocked and saddened by the news and is thinking of the individual’s family and friends.
“You really don’t expect that to happen on a cruise and it’s a very scary situation.”
Harry, 23, who won the £95,000 prize in last year’s series of the hit BBC show, took selfies with other guests during an onboard white party.
His girlfriend Anna, 24, sister of singer Connor Maynard, posted snaps captioned on Instagram: “Stripe obsession and lift selfies on a cruise.”
Mr Messham’s death was the second tragedy onboard MSC Virtuosa in a matter of months.
Colombian national Jessica Andrea Gómez Granda, 28, died after falling overboard near the Channel Islands in October.
The ship is used to film Channel 5 drama The Good Ship Murder starring X Factor winner Shayne Ward.
Det Chief Insp Matt Gillooly, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary’s senior investigating officer, said: “We want to reassure you that this appears to be an isolated incident onboard and we want to thank the crew for their cooperation and assistance with our enquiries.”
A spokesperson for MSC Virtuosa said: “Following an incident on board our ship, the relevant authorities were contacted, and we are co-operating fully with their investigations. We are providing full support to those impacted.”
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