Former 'EastEnders' and 'Footballers' Wives' star Gillian Taylforth has revealed that her 15-year-old daughter Jessie "died" in a car accident and was miraculously resuscitated.
The 52-year-old actress, who also recently starred in 'The Bill', told Hello! magazine that she is eternally grateful to the paramedics and hospital staff who treated her daughter.
Taylforth said: “My daughter died while trapped in the car. The paramedics saved her life. I can’t thank them or the doctors and nurses enough.”
Speaking about the day of the crash, the actress said that Jessie was on an outing with two teenage male friends at the time.
"She came downstairs I asked her for a kiss, which I wouldn't normally, and as the three of them left the house I shouted, 'Drive safely'."
Taylforth said that she got a call shortly after the three left her house, with one of the boys telling her about the accident.
Speaking about the crash scene, she said: "It was chaos. There were strangers there and one woman had been holding Jessie's hand the whole time, for which I’ll be eternally grateful."
"I kept looking at her and could see that her eyes were open but she seemed drowsy and could barely speak. All she could say was, ‘Mum',"
"The firemen cut away the car but, as the paramedics tried to move Jessie, her eyes rolled backwards into her head and she stopped breathing. They rapidly put a line into her and covered her face with an oxygen mask."
"I didn't know at the time, but Jessie had died in that moment and their quick actions saved her life. They just kept on saying, ‘We will get her back, we will get her back'. "
"I felt my world had gone into free fall. All I could think was, ‘That’s my baby.’ And I did a deal with God, 'Please don't let my baby die, she's not ready to be taken from me yet. I'll do anything, just please don’t let my baby die'."
After receiving treatment in hospital, Jessie's condition later stabilised and she was allowed to return home with her family last Thursday.
