A BBC star who appeared on a Jonathan Ross show has died suddenly from flu at the age of 56.
Kerry Wilson died on January 3 after being put into an induced coma and sadly never recovered. She was the first-ever winner of Bob Says Opportunity Knocks back in 1987 and went on to appear on The Jonathan Ross Big Talent Show as well as Talking Telephone Numbers.
The entertainer also made appearances on Who Do You Do? and Summertime Special. Kerry, from Trentham, dipped into acting as she played the role of Cheryl Colclough on BBC Radio Stoke’s first-ever soap opera. Her devastated mum called Kerry her “best friend” and had her when she was just 16-years-old.
“It was very sudden. She’s never been in the hospital in her life; no major health issues or anything like that.” Linda added to StokeonTrentLive: “But then this new flu came along. It’s been devastating. You just don’t expect it – everyone gets flued up every winter.
Kerry Wilson has died aged 56
“She told me she felt a bit sniffly. As mothers do, I said to her, ‘Why don’t you ring 111?’ By the weekend, she didn’t feel any better so she gave them a call.” Linda explained Kerry had a GP appointment “straight away” as her oxygen levels were low and within 12 hours she was put into a coma and on a ventilator.
Kerry was diagnosed with influenza A and her family thought she was starting to recover. Devastatingly, Kerry contracted sepsis. According to the NHS, sepsis is a life-threatening reaction to an infection and happens when your immune system overreacts to an infection and starts to damage your body’s own tissues and organs.
Linda shared: “A little while later she was gone. It was really rapid and totally unexpected.” Kerry had her family with her when she died. Her mum heartbreakingly shared she has lost a child before and “never thought it would happen again”. Amid her grief, Linda is keen to celebrate Kerry’s life, talents and personality.
Kerry appeared on The Jonathan Ross Big Talent Show
She called her daughter a “local celebrity” and was “a comedian, an impressionist, a singer, and an all-round entertainer”. Linda called Kerry a “beautiful person inside and out” and that she made everybody smile. The devastated mum hopes by sharing Kerry’s story, more people will get their flu jabs.
“Kerry didn’t have the vaccine this year. I pushed her, but she didn’t go out a lot and the last time she had it made her feel unwell, so she decided not to bother. Her friends all went along to the chemist yesterday to get one,” Linda shared. Kerry made her first television appearance when she was just 19-years-old on Bob Says Opportunity Knocks and went on to win the show when it was hosted by presenter Bob Monkhouse.
The NHS says flu will often get better on its own, but it can make some people seriously ill. It’s important to get the flu vaccine if you’re advised to. They’re offered on the NHS every year in autumn or early winter to help protect people at risk of flu and its complications.
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