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Natasha Collins |
Inquest rules in TV host’s death
CHILDREN'S TV presenter Natasha Collins died while taking a bath after a night-long cocaine binge, an inquest heard.
Miss Collins, 31, was discovered dead in the bath with the hot water still running by her fiancé, TV presenter Mark Speight, in their St John’s Wood penthouse on January 3.
Miss Collins was badly scalded – with burns covering 60 per cent of her body – after taking a cocktail of cocaine, vodka, sleeping pills and painkillers with her partner the previous evening, Westminster Coroner’s Court heard on Wednesday.
Coroner Dr Paul Knapman recorded a verdict of death by misadventure.
Consultant pathologist Professor Sebastian Lucas gave cause of death as cocaine toxicity and immersion in hot water.
Mr Speight woke up after the night of “partying” to discover his fiancée in the bath at 1.15pm. He tried to resuscitate her while waiting for the ambulance service.
Mr Speight, 42, was initially arrested in connection with the deaths, but last month police said he would not face any charges.
Miss Collins, who met Mr Speight in 2001 while filming the children’s programme See It Saw It, had suffered with anxiety problems since a car accident the same year.
Following the verdict, Mr Speight and Miss Collins’s mother, Carmen, issued a joint statement. It said: “Natasha was a loving daughter, fiancée, sister and friend with a very positive attitude towards life. She was always thinking of others. We are devastated that her life was cut short and we miss her deeply.” |
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