Husband of Extras actress Ashley Jensen took his own life, inquest told

● Star found actor partner inside a car in their garage

The husband of Extras actress Ashley Jensen took his own life in his Somerset home, an inquest has heard.

The emergency services were called to actor Terence Beesley’s home in Camerton, near Bath, on the afternoon of 30 November last year, where they found the 60-year-old in a car in his garage.

Paramedics tried to revive Mr Beesley, who played the character Buxton in ITV’S Victoria, but he was pronounced dead at the scene at 6:03pm thatday,avoncoroner’scourt heard.

In a statement read to the hearing, Ms Jensen, who identified herself to responding officers as Ashley Beesley, said she came home, found her husband and called the authorities.

She had last spoken to him via text message and e-mail on the afternoon of his death.

She said: “I was extremely shocked by what happened that night and I will never forget it.

“Terry and I had been together for 18 years but I had not idea he was capable of what he did.”

Coroner Peter Harrowing concluded that Mr Beesley’s death had been as a result of suicide.

“There is no evidence that I have heard to indicate why Mr Beesley took the act that he did but in any event it is not my function to answer the question why Mr Beesley might have taken that act,” said Mr Harrowing.

“Mr Beesley knew that his wife and young child were not at the house and he would not be disturbed... I am satisfied beyond reasonable doubt

0 Ashley Jensen and Terence Beesley had been together for 18 years and lived in London and LA before moving to Somerset arrived at the address and saw that fire and ambulance crews were already in attendance.

“It was dark, but artificial lighting lit the gravel driveway and I could see a large detached dwelling on the lefthand side of the property, about eight car lengths away. Ambulance and fire crew were performing chest compressions on a male who was positioned about half a metre from the open garage which housed two cars, both turned off. I was informed that the male had been found inside one of the vehicles, a silver Mercedes. I examined it and could see no pipes or anything similar out of the ordinary.”

PC Hancock added: “I spoke to a member of the fire crew who told me Mr Beasley had suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning and was not breathing and had no pulse.”

In her statement Ms Jensen, who played Christina in the US show Ugly Betty, added she first met her future husband in 1999 while working on a production of King Lear. They married in 2007 and had a child together two years later, living in London and LA before moving to Somerset.

She said her husband was outgoing and had many friends and colleagues. Mr Beesley, who was born in London, played General Bennigsen in BBC One’s War And Peace and appeared in numerous other TV shows including the Bill and Casualty.