Homeless woman, 23, who turned her life around after starring in BBC documentary Love And Drugs On The Street is found hanged at home
- Paige Greenaway was found hanged at her flat in Brighton earlier this month
- Her mother Edell, 47, said the death had come as ‘a shock’ to the whole family
- Since TV appearance she had got a job as an Avon lady and tried to join the Navy
A homeless BBC TV star who slept in a graveyard before turning her life around has been found hanged at her home.
Paige Greenaway, 23, who was homeless for seven years, was found dead at her flat in Brighton on February 9, two weeks after she last saw her mother.
Loving mother Edell, 47, said her daughter’s appearance on BBC documentary ‘Love And Drugs On The Street’ had driven her daughter to get a job as an Avon lady, try to join the Navy and sign up for a hair and beauty course at college.
She was due to start a business with her mother selling soaps and candles this year.
‘This has come as a massive shock to us all, she was in such a good place,’ Ms Greenaway’s mother told the Mirror Online.
‘Paige really pulled up her socks and came back with a fight. She was so excited to see what would happen next and had planned to move back home.
‘But it was like she was fighting a never-ending battle with her own demons as well. We cannot believe she passed away.’ She has vowed to open a soup kitchen in her daughter’s honour.
An inquest into her death opened earlier this month heard police forced entry into her home after worried friends contacted police.
Senior Coroner Veronica Hamilton-Deeley adjourned the hearing until June.
Ms Greenaway stole viewers hearts when she appeared on the BBC series in 2017, and said she ended up on the streets following a deterioration in her mental health and clashes with her mother. ‘I was a runaway child,’ she said.
The brave woman also showed the BBC crew where she sleeps. ‘We’re going up to the graveyard so I can go to bed,’ she said, ‘so I can make my bed in a tent with the dead people.
‘It’s a lot safer than the streets. I’d rather just stay hidden. It’s quiet enough for me. It’s pitch black and I’ve got my own space.
‘There’s £5 there. It’s what I’ve got for my food for the next couple of days so I have to think forward.’
She also showed the soaked state of her tent after a night of stormy weather. ‘I think it’s one of the worst nights I’ve had since 2015,’ she said, ‘The tent fell in, I got absolutely soaked. Everything inside is soaked. What I’m wearing is soaked. My trainers are soaked.’
She also revealed her determination to change her life during the show, saying: ‘I’m 21. I’ve got my whole life ahead of me. I don’t want to be part of this community anymore.
‘It’s hard because I’ve grown up around it. It’s what I’ve known from squats and things but I’ve experienced it. I’m done now. I want to go and experience the real world.’
Ms Greenaway was born with Triple X syndrome – meaning she has an extra chromosome that can cause short-term memory loss, dyslexia and weak muscles.
One of four children, her mother said she struggled after dropping out of school.
Brighton homeless campaigner Jim Deans has paid tribute to Ms Greenaway, saying: ‘This little girl was too young to leave us, but I hope you have some peace.’
For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org.