Cat Deeley was seen getting emotional as she comforted a mother who had lost her young daughter after she suffered a fatal allergic reaction after drinking a hot chocolate from Costa

Cat Deeley was overcome with emotion as she consoled a grieving mother on This Morning whose young daughter died after an allergic reaction to dairy.

Hannah Jacobs, just 13 years old, tragically died after accidentally consuming dairy on February 8, 2023. Today, her mum, Abimbola Duyile, appeared on This Morning to share the heartbreaking story and called for coffee shops and eateries to implement changes to prevent similar tragedies.

She recounted the harrowing experience: “I rushed to the [pharmacy] counter and said, ‘My daughter’s having an allergic reaction. I don’t mind paying for it [an epipen] but right now, I just need to give it to her’. She was still screaming in pain and someone said to me, ‘Did you need an ambulance? ‘ And I said, ‘Just give me a minute’ because she’s never had a severe one before.”

Abimbola fought back tears as she described the desperate situation in the pharmacy, saying: “It was like a movie. They didn’t have the correct amount to give her,” a moment which brought both her and host Cat Deeley to tears, reports the Mirror.

Abimbola spoke about her tragic loss

The situation escalated when a defibrillator was used, leading Abimbola to realise the gravity of her daughter’s condition: “This is not happening,” she said: “I lost it. My whole life came crashing down in five minutes. It was very quick.”

Presenter Ben Shephard also expressed how difficult it was to hear such a devastating account.

Following a coroner’s inquiry into the death of a young girl at a Costa shop, the firm said: “The loss of Hannah is a tragedy, and our heartfelt thoughts remain with her family and friends. Understanding how this awful situation occurred is in the interest of everyone. We have listened to everything the coroner has said this week and will carefully consider her comments together with any report she may issue and respond appropriately.”

Cat Deeley got emotional on This Morning today when a lady came on the show to speak about the tragic loss of her daughter who drank a hot chocolate with cow’s milk in it
Assistant coroner Dr Shirley Radcliffe concluded the fatal incident was due to “a failure to follow the processes in place to discuss allergies.”

She further stated: “The root cause of this death is a failure to follow the processes in place to discuss allergies combined with a failure of communication between the mother and the barista.”

In the aftermath of the inquest, the grieving mother praised her “extremely diligent” daughter in managing her allergies, acknowledging Hannah as “vivacious, caring, affectionate, energetic, and outspoken… with a strong sense of right and wrong,” lamenting that “My beautiful Hannah only had 13 years on this Earth when she should have had many, many more.”

Now, Abimbola and her bereaved family are advocating for reforms. She has proposed that cups bear stickers clearly indicating their contents to prevent similar tragedies from happening to other families, sparing them the anguish they have endured.