Presenter's death 'non-suspicious'

Collins, the fiancee of fellow TV presenter Mark Speight, was found dead in the bath at the couple's penthouse home in St John's Wood, north-west London, last Thursday.

At the opening of the inquest at Westminster Coroner's Court, investigating officer Detective Inspector Simon Whittaker said: "The death is deemed to be non-suspicious at this stage but clearly the cause of death is unascertained and subject to further investigation."

The short session was adjourned by coroner Dr Paul Knapman until Wednesday February 20. Speight did not attend the hearing.

Speight was arrested on suspicion of murder and supplying Class A drugs after Collins' body was discovered. He has since been bailed by police until early February. He has insisted he had nothing to do with his fiancee's death.

It was reported that Collins had taken cocaine before her death. But Speight's mother, Jacqueline, said she may have died after taking drugs prescribed for a medical condition.

On Monday the Metropolitan Police said a post-mortem examination was "inconclusive". Further tests are now deemed necessary to determine the cause of the 31-year-old's death, Scotland Yard said.

At the opening of the inquest, Dr Knapman read a brief statement from Coroner's Officer Linda Martindill in which she stated that Speight identified the body to police as that of his fiancee on Thursday January 3.

Speight, originally from Wolverhampton, is best known for the BBC children's art show SMart, which has run for more than 10 years. He shot to fame as the rubber-faced presenter of children's ITV Saturday morning show Scratchy & Co. Collins starred alongside him on BBC's children's show See It Saw It.

The BBC cancelled Saturday's scheduled showing of SMart but has not yet made a decision on whether next week's episode will be screened. A new series of SMart is not scheduled until the end of the year.