James Morrison found wife Gillian Catchpole's body as cause of death confirmed

09 January 2024 , 16:33

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Gill Catchpole's cause of death has been confirmed

Pop star James Morrison's wife Gill Catchpole's cause of death has been confirmed.

A coroner today revealed that the 45-year-old was found hanged. A post mortem gave a provisional cause of death for the mum-of-two as ligature suspension.

The inquest into Gill's death today heard that the mum-of-two was discovered by her husband James at their family home on Friday, after a concerned friend who had struggled to gain access inside the property contacted the Brit Award winning singer.

You Give Me Something hitmaker James - who has cancelled all work commitments following his wife's death - had a key to the house and was the one to discover his wife's body on entering their home.

Mr Wooderson formally opened an inquest into the death of Gillian Mary Catchpole and adjourned it to a date to be fixed after hearing that a pathologist had provisionally given cause of death as ligature suspension.

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Gill was identified by her driving licence and family members at the scene, the court heard today. Police said they were satisfied there were no suspicious circumstances regarding Gill's death.

Gill Catchpole's cause of death has been confirmed (Facebook)

James had spent 22 years with Gill (Alan Davidson/REX/Shutterstock)

The area Gloucestershire Coroner Roland Wooderson was told how samples were taken from Gill's body for toxicological analysis. Pathologist Dr Terry Jones carried out the post mortem and gave the provisional cause of death as hanging. Following Gill's devastating death, James was said to be "holding it together" for the sake of their children, Elsie, 15, and Ada, five, who were also being comforted by family.

The mum-of-two was found dead at their home in Whitminster, Gloucestershire, after police had been called to the home. On January 9, a spokesperson for the force told the Mirror: "Police were called to Whitminster in Gloucester at around 9.10am on Friday (5 January) following concerns for the welfare of a resident. Officers attended and the body of a woman in her 40s was found within an address.

"The death is being treated as non-suspicious at this time. The coroner and woman's next of kin have been informed." James is yet to comment on the death of Gill, who he had spent 20 years of his life with.

Just days before her devastating death, Gill took to a local community Facebook page to share that she was urgently looking for a home to rent. Posting on her local Facebook group, she wrote: "Looking for a house to rent in Whitminster ASAP. Please contact me if anyone knows or hears of anything. TIA."

James, 39, first fell for Gill 22 years ago and they were engaged for 17 years. Although the pair kept their relationship relatively low-key, he previously opened up about their romance. Speaking on the White Wine Question Time podcast in 2021, he revealed that they met when Gill and her former boyfriend moved in with his mum.

He told host Kate Thornton: "It wasn't the easiest start, but I just still see it as a really romantic thing. I'm not very romantic. I'm not like: 'I love romance!' But I do find certain things romantic and the fact that we met each other the way we did. It's like a little fairy tale or something!" James and Gill embarked on their romance three months after she split from her boyfriend and he moved out.

However, Gill's ex still found his way back into James's life - as he started dating his mum. The singer explained: "He got me back. My mum rang me one day. And she said: 'I'm out on a date. I wonder if you can pick me up? ’I said: 'Where are you?' And she said: 'I'm at John's house.' And I was like: 'John's house? Who's John? 'She said: 'You know, Gill's John.'

"Okay, so I have to go and pick my mum up from my girlfriend's ex's house, and it was the most awkward thing! ’But I didn't like the fact that she said that. So I was like: 'No it's not a date. They're just hanging out.' Yeah, it was awkward!"

But before her death, she was known in the local community for her acts of kindness. Gill supported local anti-crime group Put The Knives Down Gloucester and even donated a guitar signed by James to help raise money. Writing on their Facebook page in 2022, the group said: "Want to say a massive thank you to James Catchpole and Gill Catchpole for doing this for us. A signed guitar by James Morrison. This is going to make someone very happy when it’s up for raffle. Plus a signed album. Thank you again, James. Means a lot. Please share."

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Daniel Bird