Racism was at the heart of my heavily pregnant daughter’s death, mother alleges
It’s been three years since dancer and influencer Nicole Thea died whilst eight months pregnant with her child, who was called Reign.
But for Nicole’s family, those three long years mean “nothing”.
“I still feel like I how I did the day that she passed away – the first thing I think of in the morning is Nicole and Reign. When I go to sleep, it’s Nicole and Reign,” says her mother Samantha Antoine.
It’s not lost on Samantha that as she should be celebrating her first grandchild’s third birthday, she is instead marking the anniversary of his death, along with his mother – who was her only child.
“Reign will never be able to ride a bike, I will never be able to pick him up from school, take him swimming.
“And one of the saddest things is Nicole will never get to see Reign and that bothers me. She was so excited to see him.”
Nicole died in July 2020 of an underlying heart condition, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) – a condition Nicole’s paternal grandmother died from in 1986.
She had previously complained to midwives about shortness of breath and even spoke in YouTube videos to hundreds of thousands of her followers that she felt like her baby was “eating her from the inside out”.
Dr Aneil Malhotra, a consultant cardiologist, has since tested some family members for the often-hereditary condition.
He says it is always important to address symptoms – and a “baseline EGC, electrical trace of the heart, detects HCM in around 90% of cases”.
He says HCM is prevalent in all ethnic groups, but can be more difficult to identify in black and ethnic minority patients, which he believes is linked to lack of research.
Nicole died in July 2020 of an underlying heart condition, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
Mother believes Nicole’s death could have been avoided
Samantha claims that – if Nicole’s concerns had been listened to – her daughter’s death could have been avoided, believing her daughter was failed on many levels, and racism was at the heart of it.
“I also believe that because Nicole is a woman of colour, that she was failed on that front because she just wasn’t taken seriously.
“I think if she wasn’t a woman of colour, she would have been referred to as a consultant,” Samantha said.
According to the most recent data from a report by Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries (MBRRACE-UK), black and ethnic minority women can be around five to six times more likely to die in childbirth.
Sadly, it’s not just mothers from ethnically diverse backgrounds more likely to experience higher morbidity rates.
In 2021, babies from the black ethnic group continued to have the highest rates of death, according to the ONS.
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‘Every maternal death is a tragedy’ – MP
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We are absolutely clear we must ensure maternity care is of the same high standard for everyone.
“We set up the Maternity Disparities Taskforce which brings together experts from across the health system, government departments and the voluntary sector to explore and consider evidence-based interventions to tackle maternal disparities.”
But Caroline Nokes, Conservative MP and chair of the Women and Equalities Committee, says the government has fallen short of setting a target.
She said “every maternal death is a tragedy” adding that her “heart goes out to Samantha”.
“I think it’s absolutely crucial that all women, particularly black and other minoritised communities are listened to when they’re pregnant. They know their own bodies best.”
She said she is disappointed there hasn’t been a “specific strategy or target around black maternal deaths” – adding that cases like Nicole’s “highlight how crucial it is that we make sure women are listened to that their health concerns are acted upon.”
Samantha says the statistics highlighting the disparities other women of colour face is proof there are wider societal issues at play, and the family want accountability, but until that happens they have taken it among themselves to do something about it.
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‘Biggest NHS maternity scandal’
Foundation will keep Nicole’s name alive
Global Boga, Nicole’s partner and father to Reign, said: “It’s been three years, but I haven’t lived.”
“I only started to feel myself again when I set up the foundation to honour her and my son.
“I wouldn’t wish this on anybody.”
“Nicole literally made my life. All she ever wanted was to be a mother, and I could see that, so I wanted to be the father of her kids.”
Alongside Samantha and other family members, he is setting up the Nicole Thea Reign foundation to help support mothers.
He hopes the foundation, which will be set up to mark Nicole’s birthday on 29 July, will go a long way to keep their name alive, as well as helping others.
“We have lost a great queen, but she is not gone forever. She is in us, she is in our soul,” he said.
The teacher of one of the Southport stabbing victims has told Sky News they “don’t want her to be forgotten”, 10 months after the knife attack in which she was murdered.
Seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe was killed along with Bebe King, six, and nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar in an attack by Axel Rudakubana at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class last July.
Jennifer Sephton, headteacher of Farnborough Road Infant School, will be skydiving to raise funds for the Elsie’s Story charitable trust, which has been set up in memory of the former pupil.
(L-R) Alice da Silva Aguiar, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Bebe King were killed in an attack at a Taylor Swift-themed class
“She’d been with us for four years, throughout her education,” Ms Sephton told Sky News, “and we just want everybody to know Elsie’s spirit.”
Describing Elsie as “such a determined young lady,” Ms Sephton said Elsie had “a real zest for life, and a sparkle in her eye all the time.”
She added that Elsie’s Story, which has been set up by Elsie’s family, is about “continuing that legacy.”
Jennifer Sephton
In the aftermath of the July 2024 attack, the gates outside Elsie’s school were lined with flowers, balloons, and cards bearing her name.
Since then, memorial benches and a tree have been planted in the school grounds, providing pupils and staff with a place to “remember and reflect”, Ms Sefton says.
“[Elsie’s death] had such an impact on all our community,” the teacher said, “it’s had an impact on her friends, their siblings, our school as a community and our staff.”
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Adrian Antell
‘We want her name to live on’
Ms Sephton will be joined in the skydive by Adrian Antell, headteacher at the adjoining junior school where Elsie had been due to start.
“Elsie was due to come to us last September,” he told Sky News, “but what we’ve learned about her is that she had a wonderful impact in the infant school, and we don’t want her to be forgotten.
“We want her name to have to live on and to be thought of in a positive way.”
Mr Antell said they continue to support Elsie’s classmates, who joined the new school without her.
“There’s no instruction manual for this,” he explained, “every day is different, and every day is one step at a time.
“So all we can do as a school is to think about individual children and support them in the best way we can.”
Scientists from Kew Gardens are using a new study to track which trees bees prefer to try to stem the decline in our vital pollinators.
Bee populations are falling all over the world due to a mixture of habitat loss, climate change, and the use of pesticides, with a devastating impact on our biodiversity and food production.
But it’s feared that not enough comprehensive, global research is being done to understand the issue or find solutions.
The study is building up heat maps of the most popular trees
Non-invasive monitors track the buzz created by bees’ wing beats
UK becoming a no-fly zone
Researchers based at Wakehurst in Sussex, known as Kew’s “Wild Botanic Garden”, have begun placing advanced bio-acoustics sensors in some of their trees to track which ones bees favour.
They hope it’ll help urban planners know which trees to plant in built-up areas, as a way of combating the worrying decline in bee numbers.
Pollination research lead Dr Janine Griffiths-Lee said: “Nearly 90% of our flowering plants depend on the contribution of pollinators, but in the UK the population of flying insects in the last 20 years has decreased by around 60%.
“It’s really hard to be able to put a figure on the decline of our pollinators, but we do know that globally the number is declining.
“And with that comes crop yield instability and the loss of an essential ecosystem service.”
Their new, non-invasive monitors listen for the buzz created by bees’ wing beats, building up heat maps of the most popular spots.
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Bio-acoustics sensors are placed in trees to track which ones the bees are more drawn to
‘We’re facing twin crises’
Dr Griffiths-Lee said: “If you think about the tree’s footprint, it’s very small, but they’re huge 3D structures covered in pollen and nectar, which are essential resources of pollinators.
“So we really wanted to think about which are the best trees for bees for us to plant, and that can inform landscape planners, urban architects.”
Eight different species of tree were chosen for the study, including horse chestnut and lime trees, with a mixture of native and non-native species.
The scientists have also been gathering DNA from pollen, which also helps them to map which plants and flowers the insects prefer.
Wakehurst’s director, Susan Raikes, calls the 535-acre estate a “living laboratory”, and said the project’s all about searching for nature-based solutions to the impacts of climate change.
“The stakes couldn’t be higher, really. We know that we’re facing these twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change,” she added.
“We need to be able to understand, as the climate changes, which plants from warmer climes will be good here in the UK for pollinators in the future.
“If all of our native plants are struggling, then we need to find new sources of pollen – for us all to survive.”
Football pundit Gary Neville is to miss coverage of the Premier League finale on Sunday after being banned by Nottingham Forest, whose owner he recently criticised.
Neville had been due to commentate on Forest’s game against Chelsea on Sky Sports, which is being billed as a Champions League qualification shoot-out with both teams aiming for a top five finish.
But posting on Instagram, the former Manchester United and England defender said the broadcaster told him on Thursday that Forest “would not give me an accreditation or access to the stadium as a co-commentator”.
“I’ve had no choice but to withdraw from the coverage,” he added.
“I’ve dished out my fair share of criticism and praise in the last 14 years of doing this job and have never come close to this unprecedented action.”
Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis (R) with manager Nuno Espirito Santo after the Premier League match against Leicester. Pic: Sky Sports News/PA
Sky backs Neville’s decision
Neville said while Forest “have every right to choose who they let into their own stadium”, it was “disappointing that a great club […] have been reduced to making such a decision”.
He said “it’s symptomatic of things that have happened over the last 12 months with the club”.
Sky Sports described Forest’s move as “an unprecedented and unwelcome step” and said it has decided “to present the game from Sky Studios in west London.
“As he was no longer able to commentate from the ground, Gary has chosen to not be part of the coverage on Sunday – a decision fully supported by Sky.”
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Neville has been highly critical of Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis.
He described Marinakis walking on to the pitch and exchanging words with head coach Nuno Espirito Santo after the club’s draw with Leicester earlier this month as “scandalous”.
Neville urged Nuno to quit the club and his social media post further enraged Marinakis, who had threatened Sky with legal action over comments made by the pundit earlier in the season.
After Forest’s 2-0 defeat at Everton last year, the club issued a statement on social media questioning the integrity of video assistant referee Stuart Atwell after claiming they had been denied three penalties.
Neville’s response to that, comparing Forest’s actions to those of a “mafia gang”, prompted an apology from Sky after they had been contacted by Marinakis’ lawyers.
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