Child fans pay tribute to 'inspiring' Mark Speight as the mother of his dead fiancée speaks of her double loss

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Distraught: Mark Speight at the inquest into his fiancee Natasha Collins' death

The 42-year-old was found hanged in an office building next to Paddington train station three-and-a-half months after his girlfriend Natasha Collins died from a cocaine overdose.

Her mother, Carmen, who had taken in the SMart presenter after her daughter's death and seen him sink into depression, praised his "kind heart".

A post mortem was due to be carried out today. Builders found Mr Speight hanging from a steel beam just two floors above a police station.

It is thought it could have been there for six days since the children's TV presenter went missing at the beginning of last week.

Mrs Collins, 57, said: "We were devastated to lose Natasha earlier this year and for Mark to have now died is so tragic.

"Mark was a truly special person and his loving nature and kind heart made such a difference to all our lives.

"In the past three-and-a-half months since Natasha died, we as a family have grown closer to Mark.

"We can see why Natasha loved him so much as we grew to love him even more.

"His vivacious personality touched many and we were privileged to have had him in our lives."

Her statement came as as children as young as seven posted tribute after tribute to Speight on the Newsround website and revealed how he had inspired them to pursue art at school.

One message from Catty, 13, from Luton, said: "He was a cheerful person. When the sky was grey and rain was pouring from the sky he was the one who brought sunshine our way.

"His smile and hilarious jokes were always the best thing on TV to me. He will be missed by all his fans tremendously."

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Devastated: Natasha Collins' mother Carmen yesterday: She paid tribute to Mr Speight, describing him as a 'truly special person' with a 'kind heart'

Robert, 15, from Hertfordshire, wrote: "I have watched SMart and other programmes Mark has presented since I was four.

"I remember him as a kind and funny individual who was an icon to me and was my inspiration when I decided to take GCSE art.

"I will never forget how much of a hero he was to me throughout my younger years."

Millie, seven, from London, added: "Mark was a very talented artist and a very funny man. I feel I have learnt a lot from him which I will carry through to my adulthood.

"May he and Natasha continue their great work with the angels. You will be missed."

Amber, 15, also from London, said: "Mark was very talented and I grew up watching him. It feels strange reading all the comments that say he 'was' because he's no longer with us.

"I will remember him as being a quirky, slightly different, very talented presenter and artist who drew in even the most reluctant artist into watching the show and believing they could draw.

"I am taking Art GCSE because people like Mark convinced me art is for everyone."

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Paddington Station: Mr Speight's body hung undiscovered for six days despite being only short distance from a police station

Newsround broke the news of Speight's death in its programme last night, taking extra care to gloss over exactly how he died.

There was no mention of suicide and children were simply told that his body had been found and no one else was thought to have been involved.

Speight went missing last Monday - five days after he attended the harrowing inquest into the death of his fiancee Natasha Collins, 31, from a cocaine overdose.

His family were immediately extremely concerned about him as they said he blamed himself for her death and had sunk into a deep depression.

Yesterday workers in MacMillan house, an office block next to Paddington train station's platform one, told how builders discovered Speight's body on Sunday morning.

When they stumbled across the body, lying next to it they found the actor's mobile phone showing dozens of missed calls from worried friends and relatives.

Advertising worker Dee Desai said: "He was hanging from one of the joists near the ceiling.

"It was obvious he was dead and had been there for several days.

"They said they found his mobile phone on a table next to where they found him.

"There were tons of missed calls and text messages. People were obviously desperate to contact him but he was already dead."

Mrs Desai said that although the gloomy building is closed to the public and used by British Transport Police, builders occasionally leave a side door open onto the train station.

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Tragic: Mr Speight with his girlfriend Natasha Collins who he found dead in the bath after a cocaine binge

Her colleague Neeley Fitzgerald, a 22-year-old media sales executive, said: "I am quite surprised he managed to get in because all the entrances have a key code or a security guard.

"However, there is an entrance next to platform one by the lift, and if some of the builders had left the door ajar, say with a fire extinguisher, then he would have been able to get in."

Police believe this could be how Speight entered the partially-used office block and are now examining last week's CCTV footage of the area.

Natasha Collins, herself a children's television presenter, died on January 3 this year at the £500,000 St. John's Wood flat she shared with Speight.

She had taken a large amount of cocaine and suffered a heart attack while sitting in scalding hot bath.

Speight, who had also taken cocaine and sleeping pills and drunk vodka, only discovered his fiancee's body when he woke up the following morning.

He moved in with Natasha's mother after the death, but racked by guilt and depression, went missing last Monday April 7th.

Despite the police's insistence that area the body was found in is "extremely difficult to get to", yesterday Speight's childhood friend said he should have been found quicker.

Stuart Goldsmith said: "The police have let him down, they took six days to find a man who needs help and I think they could have found him quicker - a lot quicker."

Yesterday Mark Speight's property developer father Oliver travelled to London from Wolverhampton to identify his son's body.

Both he and Speight's mother Jacqueline were too distraught to comment.

However, it was revealed that Mark Speight's stepmother fears that the actions of Natasha Collins' mother may have contributed to the tragedy.

Speaking before his body was discovered, Francoise Coade said she was "appalled" at Carmen Collins' willingness to talk to the media in the aftermath of Natasha's death.

She claimed the extra media attention Mrs Collin's comments attracted may have put extra pressure on her stepson, whom she described as "emotionally fragile".

Ms Coade said: "I saw Natasha's mum and what she said in the press.

"It was appalling. When someone is upset for a reason one should not add to it."

She added: "Mark is very fragile. Mark is an extremely sensitive person he was devastated naturally by what happened.

"But he has no reason to feel guilty. He is not responsible."

Kirsten O'Brien, Speight's co-presenter on children's art show SMart yesterday said he was "without doubt the funniest man I've ever known."

She said: "Filming days were a joy as Mark would often have the crew and I doubled up with laughter and I think that showed on screen.

"As well as his fantastic art skills, Mark had a childlike enthusiasm for life which is what made him such a hit with young viewers."

She added: "Mark could find light in the darkest situations for others. I'm only sorry he couldn't find it for himself. My thoughts are with his family."

And Jan Kennedy, Speight's agent, said: "We are absolutely devastated at the tragic news of the loss of Mark and our thoughts and prayers go out to his family as well as the family of his beloved fiancee, Natasha, whose equally tragic death had affected him so inconsolably."

An inquest into Speight's death is expected to be opened and adjourned tomorrow.

 

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