Imogen Moorsom was a finalist for the BBC’s Young Musician of the Year Award. (Image: BBC)
BBC child star Imogen Moorsom took her own life after being rejected by four medical schools, an inquest heard. The 20-year-old was a gifted French horn player who took part in the finals of the ’s Young Musician of the Year 2022 and played in the National Youth Orchestra.
Imogen was found dead in her bedroom in Milton Abbas, Dorset, in August 2024. She was tragically discovered by her mother, Rosemary, who had thought her daughter was asleep.
The young musician was pronounced dead at the scene and a post-mortem examination confirmed she died from strangulation.
A statement from her mother to the inquest said: “On August 12 I woke up at approximately 8am. Imogen went up to bed at around 11.30pm the night before and this was the last time I saw her.
“I went into her room at about 11.40am to let the cat in and I thought she was sleeping in. I saw her bedside light was on which was odd.”
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Isabel Moorsom died in August 2024. (Image: BBC)
Her mother added, as reported by MailOnline, that she did not administer any CPR because Imogen was “cold to the touch” when she found her.
The inquest heard that Imogen “struggled to live up to her very high standards” and had “not been able to accept her failure to get into medical school”.
Imogen, who had been diagnosed with autism, began suffering from mental health issues during the lockdown.
Imogen had previously started university in 2022 but dropped out due to her mental health struggles. During her time off, she applied to four top medical schools but was rejected.
Instead, she secured a place to study natural sciences at Lancashire University and was preparing to move there.
However, her mental health took a major decline following the rejections and she was taken to The Priory Hospital in Southampton.
Dr Tessa Jones, a psychiatrist who treated Imogen at The Priory Hospital, said as reported by MailOnline: “She had not been able to accept her failure to get into medical school.
“She was an intelligent person who was very popular but sometimes struggled to live up to her very high standards.
“She disclosed to me her views about moving to Lancaster. She planned to get a job in a cafe to help her financially. She had clearly planned for the future.
“She said in July she was feeling better and was looking forward to going to university.”
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