Lorry death girl, 19 took banned drug
AWOMAN who took a research drug not meant for human consumption was killed after walking into the path of a lorry.
Grace Brockelsby, 19, died in the same hospital where hours earlier she had been for a psychiatric assessment.
A post-mortem revealed she had taken Etizolam, a Japanese drug used for research purposes and banned in the UK. It is up to 10 times more potent than the anti-anxiety drug diazepam which Grace, who suffered from mental health issues, was also taking, a coroners court heard. Grace was hit on the A52 in Boston, Lincs, on June 5.
Driver Marc Gibbins, who was observing the speed limit, said: “This was an intentional act.The girl had waited for me to be close and was looking in my direction as she stepped out.”
Paul Smith, area coroner for Lincolnshire, said he could not be sure Grace wanted to kill herself.
SHE dazzled the Strictly Come Dancing judges and reached the semi-final with professional partner Gleb Savchenko. But four years on, Countryfile presenter Anita Rani reveals she is still suffering as a result of the hit BBC show.
Anita, 42, ripped her hamstring while rehearsing for the Charleston in week two of the contest but bravely carried on dancing.
Now, speaking ahead of The World’s Big Sleep Out for the homeless tomorrow, she stoically admits she is still limping.
The immensely likeable TV presenter, who has to exercise to keep her ankle supple, revealed: “I did a cartwheel in rehearsals and if you haven’t done a cartwheel since you were seven, then you suddenly do, well, ouch!
“My partner Gleb came up with the most outrageous choreography.When I think about it now, it was insane – the stuff he had me doing was bonkers!
“But when you are in the Strictly bubble you just crack on with whatever is given to you. I am lucky I only walked away with a torn hamstring.”
Having starred on the show in 2015, Anita hosted the Strictly Tour around Britain in 2017 and appeared in the show’s Christmas special last year.
She continues: “I think it can be risky if you are moving your body that physically and you’re really not that fit.
“Strictly does push your body to the extreme. I will definitely say that. That is why everybody gets so fit and everybody loses weight. You are training like an athlete, day in and day out.
“You can see on the show that some people are panting at the end of a routine, while others are breathing normally. Being fit does help and I am definitely fit.”
She shrugs: “I am walking with a limp now. It will be with me for life. I think once you’ve torn a hamstring, you’ve torn a hamstring, that’s it.
“When I was doing Strictly, at some point everyone hurt themselves. At some point everyone was on painkillers. I will have scar tissue for life. I have to exercise it but I don’t want a sob story for my hamstring.”
Despite her matter-of-fact attitude, there is no doubt the injury had affected Anita. Yet she remains a
Strictly fan and has refused to let limit her.
Tomorrow she will join 50,000 people worldwide – including her husband Bhupinder Rehal – braving sub-zero temperatures as part of The Big Sleep Out to raise the profile of the homeless.
But the Yorkshire-born star confesses she does have some reservations about kipping in London’s Trafalgar Square alongside celebs including cyclist Sir Chris Hoy, and pop stars Jamelia and Matt Willis – even if the event does include a bedtime story from Dame Helen Mirren.
“Don’t let the fact that I am a Countryfile presenter fool you! I feel the cold – my toes, and my extremities. When you get cold there is nothing you can do about it,” she laughs.
“I am in thermals from about September to April. I did climb Mount Kilimanjaro in February for Sport Relief, and there was camping involved in that, but I have never done anything like this.
“This isn’t in a tent. We are sleeping exposed under the stars in central London. I am going to wear layers, and all my clothes. Layers and thermals are my top tips. I am massively apprehensive about it but I’ve made my husband do it as well. He’s a Londoner so of course he’s a wimp in the cold.”
This year’s event is taking place in 50 cities around the world – including Cardiff, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Brighton, Manchester and Dublin – with the aim of raising millions of pounds to combat homelessness.
SLEEP OUT STARS: Mirren and Walker
Ait
NITA says: “It’s an international event because it is an international problem. There is strength in numbers. It’s an issue that is very close to my heart.
“If you live in any major city as I do, homelessness is something you can’t ignore. Everywhere I walk in London there is someone sleeping on the street.
“For anyone who has the luxury of a roof over their head, the idea that people have to sleep outdoors is so horrendous. The numbers are so huge.”
This year in the UK, the homeless