‘Brilliant’ BBC child star died after being rejected by four top schools & ‘struggling to live up to high standards’
A BBC child star took her own life after being rejected by four medical schools, an inquest heard.
Imogen Moorsom, 20, applied to four medical schools but was unsuccessful.
The gifted French horn player qualified for the finals of BBC‘s Young Musician of the Year in 2022 and was part of the National Youth Orchestra.
Imogen, who was diagnosed with autism, was said to find it very difficult to ‘live up to her very high standards.’
An inquest heard she “not been able to accept her failure to get into medical school.”
Imogen however did secure a place at Lancaster University and was said to be preparing for the move.
However the musician was tragically discovered dead in her bedroom in Milton Abbas, Dorset.
She was found by her mother, Rosemary, a professional violinist and violin teacher, who thought her daughter was seeping in.
Rosemary said in a statement: “On August 12 I woke up at approximately 8am.
“Imogen went up to bed at around 11.30pm the night before and this was the last time I saw her.
‘I went into her room at about 11.40am to let the cat in and I thought she was sleeping in.
“I saw her bedside light was on which was odd.
“I went over to her to remove the ligature but did not start any CPR because she was cold to the touch because it was clear she had passed away.”
Imogen was pronounced dead at the scene and a post-mortem examination confirmed she died from strangulation.
The child star was said to have suffered mental health issues prompted by the lockdown during the pandemic.
Imogen had previously started university in 2022, but had dropped out due to mental heath issues.
With the time off she applied to top medical schools but was rejected.
This severely affected the 20-year-old which led to her being taken to The Priory Hospital, Southampton.
After being discharged, she went on a family holiday but when she returned her mental health took a turn for the worse.
Her parents were warned about leaving Imogen alone by psychiatrists who said Imogen was struggling with the rejection.
A psychiatrist who treated Imogen at The Priory Hospital, Dr Tessa Jones, said: “She had not been able to accept her failure to get into medical school.
“She was an intelligent person who was very popular but sometimes struggled to live up to her very high standards.
“She disclosed to me her views about moving to Lancaster.
“She planned to get a job in a cafe to help her financially. -she had clearly planned for the future.”
You're Not Alone
EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide
It doesn’t discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It’s the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
Yet it’s rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
That is why The Sun launched the You’re Not Alone campaign.
The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our bit to help save lives.
Let’s all vow to ask for help when we need it, and listen out for others… You’re Not Alone.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
- CALM, www.thecalmzone.net, 0800 585 858
- Heads Together,www.headstogether.org.uk
- HUMEN www.wearehumen.org
- Mind, www.mind.org.uk, 0300 123 3393
- Papyrus, www.papyrus-uk.org, 0800 068 41 41
- Samaritans,www.samaritans.org, 116 123