Reality TV contestant found dead in her flat more than one month after she was last seen or heard from

A reality TV star has been found dead in her home, more than one month after she was last seen or friends last heard from her.

Russian television contestant Liberzh Kpadonu was found deceased after her neighbours reported a "strong smell" was coming from her flat in Korolyov, Moscow Oblast. She was 36-years-old.

Her body was discovered on Sunday (March 31) after concerns were raised about the smell. Investigators have found that she died alone at some time in February, but it appears nobody noticed her absence until recent days.

So, who was Kpadonu, what exactly happened to her and what tributes have been paid to her? Here's what you need to know.

Who was Liberzh Kpadonu?

Kpadonu was a contestant on Russian reality TV show Dom-2 in 2011. In the show, the contestants' main objective is to construct a house whilst trying to find a partner in the process. Couples then compete for the house itself. She left the show with one of her fellow contestants.

She then returned to the show in 2013, however. She married participant Evgeny Rudnev, but they divorced six months later and left the project altogether in 2015. 

In May 2023, Kpadonu visited the show as a representative of the jury in the 'Person of the Year' competition, after which the winner was awarded an apartment.

She had 691,000 followers on her Instagram account, @libergik, where she described herself as a blogger. She also had more than 31,000 followers on her TikTok account, @libergikk.

What happened to Liberzh Kpadonu?

The circumstances surrounding Kpadonu's death are tragic. She is said to have been laying dead for more than 40 days before she was found.

On February 14, she posted a video on her social media to tell her fans that she was travelling to have surgery to remove a tumour. It seems she expected the surgery could pose a risk to her life as she was crying and said goodbye to everyone she knew. This came several months after she posted to tell her fans that a tumour had been found in her right lung.

Local media report that she died in her home shortly after having the surgery. When investigators entered her home after neighbours raised concerns about a "pungent smell", they found her body on the floor. A neighbour named Lyudmila told local media: "She died. We lived next door to her. Today we found her at home, she had been lying there for a long time."

Fellow reality TV contestant Aliana Ustinenko also confirmed her death. She said: 'It's all true. Forty-one days ago. Baby, rest in peace."

Shockingly, she also said that her parents do not know about their daughter's death. "I can't say anything, there are simply no words. Now the main thing is to get through to the parents. They are not in the know and don't know anything yet. We kindly ask you not to be negative on any topic, but simply accept and remember the good."

An investigation in to her death is on-going and no official cause of death has been released.

What tributes have been paid to Liberzh Kpadonu?

Fans took to Kpadonu's last Instagram post to express their grief at her passing, and also their shock at the circumstances. One person said: "A month and a half ago, a person died... baby girl out of surgery and no one even bothered to just come check on her. No one was disturbed by the fact that a person is silent. Just wow that poor girl. Always been positive, smiling... sleep peacefully."