The wife of comedian Leslie Phillips was found unconscious at the couple’s home in Maida Vale, London in April (11). Doctors fought to save her life in hospital but she was later pronounced dead.
At an inquest into her death at Westminster Coroner’s Court earlier this week (begs18Jul11), Dr. Fiona Wilcox recorded a verdict that the actress ended her life “while the balance of her mind was disturbed”.
The ruling came after the court heard Scoular suffered 40 per cent burns to her throat, body and dietary tract after drinking cleaning liquid, containing 91 per cent sulphuric acid, and pouring it over herself before falling down the stairs, fracturing her spine.
The 65 year old suffered from alcoholism, depression and lived in fear that her bowel cancer, which she beat in 2008, would return.
Phillips, 87, was too ill to attend the hearing, but wrote a statement explaining that the couple enjoyed a happy life, despite his wife’s issues, stating, “Angela had been an alcoholic since I met her. She did stop drinking from time to time but would return to drinking. She was a nervous type of person, not confident. But she was a kind, generous person who would help me with my work and I would help with hers. She was lovely when she was sober.”
Scoular played Ruby Bartlett in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service in 1969.
