A bitter business rival of Roman Abramovich, owner of European champions Chelsea Football Club of England, has been found dead in his bathroom.

Boris Berezovsky, who was said by friends to be “extremely depressed” and facing financial ruin, was discovered by a member of his staff at around 3pm yesterday afternoon.

“Friends raised the possibility of suicide and said Berezovsky had been ‘destroyed’ by losing a £3billion legal action with his former business partner, Roman Abramovich,” said a report in UK’s Telegraph.

Thames Valley Police said there was no evidence to suggest “third party involvement” and are now asking his friends and family about his “state of mind” in the weeks before his death, the paper reported.

A member of Berezovsky’s staff, understood to be his bodyguard, became concerned about his employer after not seeing him since 10:30pm the previous evening.

After forcing the bathroom door open he found him lying on the floor.

Berezovsky (see photo) was declared dead at the scene by a paramedic. On leaving the premises, the paramedic’s personal electronic dosimeter (PED) was triggered. The device measures the air for potentially dangerous levels of radiation.

However, specialist officers who attended the scene subsequently found no trace of radiation of chemical agents and have said there is no health risk.

Berezovsky, a Russian just like Abramovich, had been living in exile in Britain since 2000. He was given asylum in 2003, which created tensions between London and Moscow. Once worth as much as £3billion, he had suffered financial and personal problems, his friends said.