A coroner has ruled that a Britain's Got Talent dancer died by suicide three days after she was arrested on suspicion of child sexual offending. Kerri-Anne Donaldson, 38, reached the semi-final of the ITV show in 2014 as part of the dance group Kings and Queens. She was found dead at her home in Farnborough, Hampshire, on 7 June 2023.
An inquest at Winchester heard that Ms Donaldson was arrested on 4 June and questioned at a police station about the alleged sexual offence, which she denied. She was reported missing and found at a hotel in Woking, Surrey, on 5 June, having taken an overdose, and was admitted to St Peter’s Hospital. She had spent the previous night sleeping in a garage after drinking a bottle of Malibu.
Ms Donaldson was placed under a high-risk care plan on 5 June but was released from hospital on 6 June into the care of a home treatment team after being assessed as having settled. Psychiatric liaison nurse Serina Juru assessed the dancer as being of 'high and imminent risk of suicide' on the evening of 5 June, rating the risk 10 out of 10. However, a further Mental Health Act assessment on 6 June deemed her suitable for release.
Consultant psychiatrist Dr Martin Williams told the inquest that Ms Donaldson had refused to disclose the nature of the offence but said she no longer believed she was 'definitely going to go to prison'. Coroner Jason Pegg said the second assessment was hindered by not being presented with the full notes from nurse Juru and by three incorrect assumptions made by Dr Williams, including that Ms Donaldson had raised the alarm herself after the overdose and that a custodial sentence was unlikely.
Mr Pegg concluded that Ms Donaldson intended to end her life once she was alone at home. She was taken home by her sister Cara but left alone that night after reassuring her sister she was OK. Ms Donaldson was found hanged the next morning, with the song You Are So Beautiful playing on repeat. Cara described her sister as having a 'heart of gold' and being a 'fantastic dance teacher'.
