Former Page 3 model took her own life 18 months after teen son died in motorbike crash

The ex-glamour model turned TV presenter, was left devastated by the loss of her son and wanted to be restored with him in “life after death”.
The former glamour model died in Spain in January this year (Photo: Getty Images)The former glamour model died in Spain in January this year (Photo: Getty Images)
The former glamour model died in Spain in January this year (Photo: Getty Images)

A former Page 3 model took her own life 18 months after losing her teenage son in a tragic motorbike accident, an inquest heard.

Sam Ramplin, 47, who dated Batman actor Michael Keaton was left devastated by the loss of her son Denny and wanted to be restored with him in “life after death”.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

We want to hear from you: let us know what you think about this story and be part of the debate in our comments section below

‘Her grief was immense’

The former glamour model turned TV presenter, who starred on Hollywood celeb show Tinseltown, died in Spain in January this year.

Ms Ramplin, who was a mum of two, had been at work as a carer when she discovered her 17-year-old son had died after a road traffic collision in May 2019.

Her sister Michelle Thompson described how her grief led her to drink alcohol to excess and she promised that she would “see Denny soon”.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

In a statement, Ms Thompson said: "She loved her two children, a daughter Summer Richardson who is 27, and Denny, who would have been 19 now.

"Unfortunately two years ago, Denny when he was 17 was involved in a motorbike accident that cost him his life. The tragedy hit the family really bad, especially my sister Sam.

"Sam had a very colourful life. She had been a glamour model, she had done TV work that unfortunately had fizzled out over the years. She had a lot of ups and downs in her career, some of which had made her feel very low.

"Although she was fun and loving, there were dark times that left her feeling low. Her grief for him was immense. She drank alcohol but this became more frequent after he died.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"We as a family always felt we were always there to get her through dark times."

‘She wanted to be with her son’

Walthamstow Coroner's Court heard that Ms Ramplin was found unresponsive in her home in Malaga and a toxicology and pathologist report found no evidence of natural disease or trauma, and could not find any trace of alcohol or drugs.

Coroner Graeme Irvine said this could be because the body of Ms Ramplin had to be embalmed in order to be repatriated back to the UK.

He said: "It seems there was pressure on the blood vessels in her neck that caused her to lose consciousness and then pass away. There was no sign of any traumatic injuries or struggle."

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Ms Ramplin had previously been reviewed by the local psychiatric trust, Essex Partnership University Trust, after making comments while drunk that she was considering ending her life.

Those close to her made a decision to call for an ambulance and she was then taken to a place of safety for a short period.

An assessment was taken by a psychiatric nurse on 9 May 2019 after she had sobered up and she explained that she was very distressed and felt unable to cope after Denny’s death, and told people she wanted to be with her son.

Ms Thompson, who attended the hearing remotely, said she remembered going with her sister to Denny's grave on what would have been his 19th birthday.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

She said: "She came over to see me in October last year and we went to Denny's grave on his 19th birthday.

"She said, 'I'll be there soon'. I said, 'don't be silly', but she said 'no, I mean it, I don't know how much more I can live'."

"We got her through day by day but no one can understand once she's on her own.

“She was led to believe there was another life after this and I don't know if that helped, but I hope it got her through the two years without Denny."

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Summarising the hearing, Mr Irvine said that Ms Ramplin went through “incredible emotional trauma” after the death of her son.

Doctors were reassured that she would be stable with the support of her family, and she was prescribed an antidepressant and a sleeping tablet by her GPs.

She indicated she would spend some time in Spain after being discharged and she later settled in an area in Malaga.

Sadly, in January Ms Ramplin was discovered unresponsive at her home address in Spain and the coroner returned a verdict of suicide and offered his condolences to her sister.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

If you are going through a difficult time, or know someone who is struggling, you can contact Samaritans 24 hours a day for support. Call 116 123 for free, email [email protected], or visit the website for advice.

A message from the editor:

Thank you for reading. NationalWorld is a new national news brand, produced by a team of journalists, editors, video producers and designers who live and work across the UK. Find out more about who’s who in the team, and our editorial values. We want to start a community among our readers, so please follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and keep the conversation going.

Related topics:

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.