Lewis Hamilton’s F1 grid girl dies as her car ploughs into wall
TRIBUTES were paid to Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton’s former grid girl yesterday after she died in a horror car crash.
Kate Woodcock, 30, perished when her BMW ploughed into a wall near Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, last Thursday night.
Ms Woodcock, from Walsall, West Midlands, spent two years working with Hamilton, claiming she did it because she “loved it”.
Yesterday tributes were paid to the “beautiful and exceptional” model who “shined very bright”.
Modelling agency SDMPE tweeted: “We’re deeply shocked and saddened to lose such a lovely, beautiful girl and an exceptional model who shined very bright always.”
Photographer Kris described her as a “joy around”.
He said: “She was so glamorous she always reminded me of a reallife Bond girl, a true diamond.”
A JustGiving page has been set up to raise money towards the model’s funeral costs, with more than £4,800 raised.
Two ambulances, a paramedic officer and the West Midlands CARE team were sent to the scene following last week’s tragedy.
A spokesman for West Midlands Ambulance Service said: “On arrival ambulance staff found a car that had suffered significant Formula 1 star Hamilton Askey to be damage. The woman driving the vehicle suffered very serious injuries and unfortunately there was nothing that could be done to save her.” Bouquets and messages have since been left at the site. One message said: “My beautiful sister, I love you so much. “I am going to miss you! Too young, too early to go, life will never be the same. Love you.” Another poignant note, decorated with butterflies, read: “My beautiful friend, I’m going to miss you so much!!” Kate had been a Grand Prix grid girl, modelled for magazines and worked at various public relations events. Speaking about the grid girl role earlier this year, she said: “I did it because I wanted to do it and loved it. “It’s professional and nobody crossed the line once. More stuff probably goes on in an office.” She said she was booked because she was intelligent, wellspoken and hard-working, adding: “Those elements go into the whole package. “There’s a lot of work people don’t see in these roles. “You have to learn how to walk down the grid, how to hold your flag and the boards for the formations – there’s a lot of training that goes into it.”