Natasha Collins
Encyclopedia
Natasha Louise Collins was an English
actress and model
.
in Finchley
, north London, she initially worked as a model, and was still represented by Ugly Rage Models at the time of her death. Collins first appeared on TV in the Brechin Productions children's show See It, Saw It, in which she played See, one of two court jesters in the court of the King, played by Mark Speight
. Trying to break into more adult television, she later appeared in Hallmark
/NBC
's The Tenth Kingdom and ITV1
's Real Women. She also featured in a small number of episodes of the BBC emergency services programme 999 Lifesavers and one episode of the popular children's TV series Chucklevision
as the Spanish Princess. She also worked in film and theatre, as well as presenting corporate videos.
In 2001 Collins was cast in a main role in the Channel 4
show Hollyoaks
, but later the same day was involved in a serious car accident, which left her in a coma
and hospitalised for a long period of time. The incident left her with seizure
s that curtailed her career. Whilst recovering she began dating Speight, and the couple became engaged in Barbados
in 2005.
London home of Collins and Speight, where Collins was found dead in a bath. Speight was arrested on suspicion of murder and supplying class A drugs, and was bailed to return to the police station for questioning in early February.
The subsequent postmortem examination proved to be inconclusive, requiring additional toxicology
tests. The inquest opened on 8 January 2008 heard that the death was not thought to be suspicious, but that it was "subject to further investigation".
On 2 April 2008, the coroner recorded a verdict of death by misadventure after Collins was found with scalds covering about 60% of her body and a "'very significant' amount of cocaine in her system at the time". Speight had been arrested immediately following Collins's death, but was not charged with any offence. Mark Speight later committed suicide, and his body was found by police
in the roof of MacMillan House next to London's Paddington railway station on 13 April 2008. He was said to have killed himself because he could not cope with the grief of Collins dying.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
actress and model
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
.
Career
Educated at St. Michael's Catholic Grammar SchoolSt. Michael's Catholic Grammar School
St. Michael's Catholic Grammar School is a Voluntary aided, Catholic Grammar School for girls, situated in North Finchley, London. The school was founded in 1908, when it became the first Roman Catholic school in Finchley. It was founded by, and is now under the trusteeship of, the Congregation of...
in Finchley
Finchley
Finchley is a district in Barnet in north London, England. Finchley is on high ground, about north of Charing Cross. It formed an ancient parish in the county of Middlesex, becoming a municipal borough in 1933, and has formed part of Greater London since 1965...
, north London, she initially worked as a model, and was still represented by Ugly Rage Models at the time of her death. Collins first appeared on TV in the Brechin Productions children's show See It, Saw It, in which she played See, one of two court jesters in the court of the King, played by Mark Speight
Mark Speight
Mark Warwick Fordham Speight was an English television presenter, best known as the host of children's art programme SMart. Speight grew up in Tettenhall, Wolverhampton, and left school at 16 to become a cartoonist...
. Trying to break into more adult television, she later appeared in Hallmark
RHI Entertainment
RHI Entertainment , formerly known as Hallmark Entertainment, is an American producer of television movies and miniseries, founded in 1979 by Robert Halmi Jr. and Robert Halmi Sr. as Robert Halmi Incorporated....
/NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's The Tenth Kingdom and ITV1
ITV1
ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
's Real Women. She also featured in a small number of episodes of the BBC emergency services programme 999 Lifesavers and one episode of the popular children's TV series Chucklevision
ChuckleVision
ChuckleVision is a popular British television series shown mainly on CBBC. New episodes are always first aired on BBC One, and occasionally episodes are shown on BBC Two. The first episode was shown on 26 September 1987. It follows the adventures of the Chuckle Brothers & the Patton Brothers, who...
as the Spanish Princess. She also worked in film and theatre, as well as presenting corporate videos.
In 2001 Collins was cast in a main role in the Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
show Hollyoaks
Hollyoaks
Hollyoaks is a long-running British television soap opera, first broadcast on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was originally devised by Phil Redmond, who has also devised shows including Brookside and Grange Hill...
, but later the same day was involved in a serious car accident, which left her in a coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
and hospitalised for a long period of time. The incident left her with seizure
Seizure
An epileptic seizure, occasionally referred to as a fit, is defined as a transient symptom of "abnormal excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain". The outward effect can be as dramatic as a wild thrashing movement or as mild as a brief loss of awareness...
s that curtailed her career. Whilst recovering she began dating Speight, and the couple became engaged in Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
in 2005.
Death
At 1:20 pm on 3 January 2008 police were called to the North WestNW postcode area
The NW postcode area, also known as the London NW postcode area, is a group of postcode districts covering part of northwest London, England...
London home of Collins and Speight, where Collins was found dead in a bath. Speight was arrested on suspicion of murder and supplying class A drugs, and was bailed to return to the police station for questioning in early February.
The subsequent postmortem examination proved to be inconclusive, requiring additional toxicology
Toxicology
Toxicology is a branch of biology, chemistry, and medicine concerned with the study of the adverse effects of chemicals on living organisms...
tests. The inquest opened on 8 January 2008 heard that the death was not thought to be suspicious, but that it was "subject to further investigation".
On 2 April 2008, the coroner recorded a verdict of death by misadventure after Collins was found with scalds covering about 60% of her body and a "'very significant' amount of cocaine in her system at the time". Speight had been arrested immediately following Collins's death, but was not charged with any offence. Mark Speight later committed suicide, and his body was found by police
British Transport Police
The British Transport Police is a special police force that polices those railways and light-rail systems in Great Britain for which it has entered into an agreement to provide such services...
in the roof of MacMillan House next to London's Paddington railway station on 13 April 2008. He was said to have killed himself because he could not cope with the grief of Collins dying.