DEAD STAR'S MUM ASKS FOR PRIVACY

The mother of television actress and presenter Natasha Collins has paid tribute to her daughter after she was found dead on Thursday afternoon.

"We are all absolutely distraught over the death of Natasha. She was our loving, caring daughter who was always full of life. This is a very emotional time for us as a family. We ask simply to be allowed to grieve at this time," read a statement issued through police.

Ms Collins' fiancée, TV star Mark Speight, was arrested on suspicion of murder and supplying class A drugs after the 31-year-old's body was discovered at the flat they shared in the St John's Wood area of London.

He was released on bail last night and has denied any responsibility for the death, saying he is "distraught" at losing his girlfriend.

Mr Speight's mother has denied that her son had any involvement in Ms Collins' death and suggested that a mix-up involving prescription drugs may have been the cause.

She added that she had noticed nothing untoward in their relationship recently.

"I'm in absolute shock. I was only with them at Christmas. They both seemed fine and very happy," she said on Saturday morning.

"There is no way on earth that Mark would do anything to harm Tash."

A spokesperson for the 42-year-old BBC presenter said that upon finding Ms Collins' body in the bathroom of their home he had "immediately called an ambulance and the police".

A postmortem examination to determine the cause of death is believed to have begun yesterday after Mr Speight, who fronted the CBBC show Smart, was released on bail.


05/01/2008 14:54:52