Coroner Rules Suicide in BGT Dancer's Death After Arrest

A coroner has ruled that KerriAnne Donaldson, a 38-year-old dancer who reached the semifinals of Britain's Got Talent in 2014, died by suicide three days after her arrest on suspicion of a child sex offense.

Donaldson, a member of the dance group Kings and Queens, was found dead at her home in Farnborough, Hampshire, on June 7, 2023. The inquest at Winchester Coroner's Court, which concluded on February 16, 2024, heard that she had been arrested on June 4 and questioned at Basingstoke police station about the allegation, which she denied. Detective Constable Benjamin Harris of Hampshire Constabulary, who led the investigation, told the hearing that the accuser had reported Donaldson previously threatening to take her own life if the allegation became public. Harris described the comment as potentially a form of control, based on his experience with similar cases, but noted that Donaldson appeared calm and normal after her interview. "She had no indication that she wanted to take her own life," he said.

Following her release from custody, Donaldson did not return home, and her family reported her missing. She was located later that day at a Travelodge hotel in Woking, Surrey,...