Reality show may be cancelled after 'drugs death'

A documentary in which the Duchess of York acts as a lifestyle coach to an overweight family on a run-down estate may be dropped after one of its most prominent characters was arrested over a suspected drugs death.

Terri Eccles, 24, who put her family forward for the ITV programme The Duchess in Hull, was questioned by police after an 18-year-old man was found dead at her home on Saturday morning.

Ms Eccles features heavily in the two-part documentary, in which the duchess tries to persuade her, her mother Tonia Sargerson and their extended family, to eat more fruit and vegetables and lead a healthier life. Cameras followed the duchess shopping in the budget supermarket Netto and staying at a bed-and-breakfast close to the Preston Road estate where the family live. The estate, known to some locals as “Beirut”, has high levels of deprivation, teenage pregnancy, crime and unemployment.

Promoting the documentary last month, the duchess said she hoped that she would be able to draw on her own experience of “eating disorders, low self-esteem, family conflict, financial crisis, divorce and bereavement” to help the family. The programme makers drafted in Jean-Christophe Novelli, the award-winning chef, to cook for the family and teach them some healthy recipes.

The duchess, 48, who says that she became friends with Ms Eccles and Mrs Sargerson during the making of the programme, was told of the death yesterday. Her spokesman told The Times: “She has been alerted to this terrible situation and has asked to be kept informed.” ITV executives will discuss the future of the programme this week. It is scheduled for screening in mid-May but a spokesman for the broadcaster said: “We’re aware of the situation and awaiting further developments.”

The young man who died is believed to have been a friend of Ms Eccles and her partner and is understood to have returned to their home in Hull after a night out on Friday. He was found dead in bed on Saturday morning. The ambulance service informed the police that a crew had been called to deal with a suspected heart attack. A spokesman for Humberside police said: “A man and woman were arrested and later released on police bail pending further inquiries.” It is understood that the suspected cause of death was drug abuse and that the body of the dead man showed no sign of injury. A post-mortem examination will be carried out today.

In a recent television interview, the duchess remembered her visit to the estate warmly and said she had had “a really nice time”. She added: “Tonia and Terri — they are all my friends now.” ITV had promoted the programme with the slogan: “Can the Duchess of York tackle obesity in Britain?”

The duchess, an ambassador for WeightWatchers, has spent most of the past decade living in Manhattan, where she has an apartment overlooking Central Park, and has carved out a successful television career. ITV hoped that her involvement in the programme would have made it attractive to international broadcasters.

The network disclosed details of the documentary last month as it disclosed a 35 per cent drop in annual profits and a fall in audience share.