The secret lives of Mark and Natasha
Thursday, 24 April 2008
The strong union between Mark Speight and Natasha Collins was also the cause of their deaths, as Now uncovers the fatal consequences of two ‘incompatible’ lovers
The tragic deaths of lovers Natasha Collins and Mark Speight have been compared to a modern day Romeo and Juliet. Madly in love and on the verge of marriage, they seemed to be a perfect couple.
On their last night together, they were said to have been writing love poems to be read out at their wedding. Although that can never be proved, what’s beyond doubt is that they’d been taking cocaine, which resulted in Natasha’s fatal drug-induced heart seizure on 3 January. Four months later, Mark, 42, hung himself, unable to cope with his grief. But how did devout Roman catholic Natasha, with no history of drug taking, become such a regular user that she had a 1cm hole in the septum of her nose and managed to hide her habit from her family? Natasha, 31, denied doing drugs when her mum Carmen asked her, even though she’d been on a wild binge and then slept for days. Natasha’s word was good enough for Carmen.
Many of the friends who spoke to last week paint a picture that’s far removed from ‘love’s young dream’ and reveal that the couple were in fact hopelessly mismatched. Mark was a dominant and physically imposing character who loved to party. Natasha was a much more complicated personality after a serious car accident that nearly killed her in 2001. She was fragile and didn’t like to go out, preferring the sanctuary of their home in St John’s Wood, London.
During her childhood, friends remember Natasha as outgoing and fun-loving – but not rebellious. She grew up in a strict religious household and was protected by her mum, who’d already lost a son in a road accident when he was only two. Despite this family heartbreak, Natasha flourished and dreamed of stardom. After leaving school, she studied drama at the University of Kent and met Mark in 1999 as they filmed children’s TV show See It Saw It.
But her personality changed after the car accident when she suffered such severe head injuries that it took years of physical rehabilitation for her to lead a normal life again. Tragically, the mental scars remained until the day she died. Her confidence never fully recovered as she was plagued by flashbacks, mood swings and seizures. Her weight plummeted from a healthy 9st to 6½st. It was a thorn in their relationship as Mark tried to get her to eat more.
To friends, Mark was never considered anything less than a good influence throughout their relationship. Now’s source says:
‘They trusted Mark implicitly. He was a very strong personality and always gave the impression of being in control of his life. The same couldn’t be said of ’Tash. Despite the problems she had, like the weight loss, no one imagined they could have anything to do with Mark. They all witnessed him trying to encourage her to eat more. To this day, they don’t blame him.’
Natasha was not only besotted with Mark, who was 11 years older than her and at 6ft towered over her 5ft 5in frame, but she was also dependent on him. After the car accident, Natasha hardly worked whereas Mark, who was the son of a millionaire property developer, earnt a six-figure salary at the BBC. With money to burn and a party nature, Mark was a known drug-taker among colleagues and friends – one even claimed he smoked joints in between takes. His guilt at Natasha’s death surely stemmed from the knowledge that he’d introduced her to the same world. Our source adds:
‘She’d initially have the odd line of coke. She’d done drugs before, but never to any significant extent. She gradually used more as time went on. They’d often have a “quiet night in” watching TV, which involved taking cocaine. Some friends questioned if this was healthy, but, as one said: “It’s showbiz
– coke’s seen as harmless.”’
However, Natasha’s body and mind were more vulnerable to the negative aspects of drugs than Mark’s. She died after a cocaine-induced heart seizure while having a bath. She was found by Mark in the bath with the hot water still running, although it’s not known if the shock of the hot water brought about her heart failure. Until the inquest, no one knew that she suffered from a weak heart.
Although her friends and family refused to blame Mark, he was stricken with guilt. Struggling to cope, he was given refuge by an unlikely source: Carmen, who offered him a home and constant support. But he felt that everyone thought he was ‘a murderer’. He was even more tortured by this when Carmen spoke in an interview about him crying himself to sleep, even though she’d asked his prior approval. Two days later, he disappeared and on 13 April he was found dead in a remote area of London’s Paddington train station.
As one of their friends tells :
‘He put temptation in Natasha’s way. While he may not have forced the coke up her nose, were it not for him she wouldn’t have taken it and she’d be alive today. That was the guilt he
could never live with.’
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why doesnt everyone leave FERN BRITTON alone, if she slims down its her business. Fern is loved by loads of people,she has a fantastic personality,leave her alone what she does with her life is her business.If she wants to go without makeup, why not. she is the greatest thing on television,she's a real tonic. Im a big fan,I think she is a natural and very down to earth.
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