Death still a mystery as Peaches test draws blank
‘Talked about juice-only diets’
MYSTERY continues to surround Peaches Geldof ’s death after a post-mortem examination yesterday proved to be inconclusive.
The 25-year- old mother of two was found dead at her country home on Monday in ‘unexplained’ circumstances.
It is understood police found no suicide note and no signs of injury or evidence of drugs. Toxicology tests are being carried out but the results could take weeks, prolonging the wait for Miss Geldof’s family.
The initial post-mortem findings came as fears grew Miss Geldof may have suffered from an eating disorder like her mother Paula Yates, who died from a heroin overdose in 2000.
Close family friend Gerry Agar said: ‘I was worried about her weight loss. You could see she was struggling with self-esteem issues, just as Paula did.’
She said Miss Geldof’s father, Sir Bob Geldof, had concerns the painfully thin model was bulimic, adding: ‘I remember Bob once told me he used to help her to take care of her teeth because all the vomiting made them really bad.
‘Peaches lost such a lot of weight and then talked in interviews about going on juice-only diets.’
Television doctor Chris Steele said bulimic vomiting can create toxic levels of potassium in the body, which can cause heart irregularities or cardiac arrest.
The GP said pictures of Miss Geldof’s hands show damage which he believes could have been caused by her making herself sick.
He added: ‘Without any evidence but just to my eye, Peaches’ knuckles are darker than the rest of the finger and they are enlarged. It is highly likely that it is from bulimia.
‘That’s not bulimia of a couple of weeks’ duration, it is a long-term problem. I don’t know any other condition t hat causes t hat in the knuckles.’
Police were called to Miss Geldof’s £1million home in Wrotham, Kent after receiving a call raising concerns about her welfare.
The young mother, whose two sons are due to celebrate their first and second birthdays in a few days, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Only weeks before her death, Miss Geldof was named as a new columnist for Mother and Baby magazine.
In her last piece, she wrote of how she was ‘happier than ever’ because of her ‘perfect’ life as the wife of musician Tom Cohen, and as the mother to Astala, 23 months, and 11-month-old Phaedra.
A statement from Kent Police said: ‘Officers continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death to compile a report for the coroner.
‘The result of a toxicology report can take several weeks.’