The devastated fiancé of a dwarf BBC Three star who died after taking too many antidepressants is still adjusting to his new life, cruelly telling friends and relatives that “everything has changed in only one year.”
Jasmine Burkitt, 28, passed away in June of this year at her home in Bodelwyddan, North Wales, 12 years after she gained notoriety in the four-part documentary Small Teen Bigger World.
Over the course of a year, the documentary chronicled the lives of Ms. Burkitt and her mother Bev, who was also a dwarf. It included footage of the teen’s 16th birthday, her visit to New York City, and her search for her biological father.
Bev unfortunately passed away after the program aired, and Ms. Burkitt fell in love with Lewis Burke.
At the time of her passing, the couple was engaged and making plans for the future.
Mr. Burke is now confronted with the fact that his aspirations will never materialize. It was difficult for him to comprehend how much his life had changed in only one year, he said at a memorial to his late fiancée on Monday.
Everything has changed, he said.
He posted a touching image of Ms. Burkitt and their dog, Loki, grinning inside their tent shortly after she passed away.
He added, “What am I expected to do without you?” next to the picture.
The toughest thing I or anybody will ever have to do is live with loss, particularly when it’s your soul mate.
I’m not alright, and I really don’t know how to handle it all. I can’t stop thinking about it; it consumes me within.
“It’s the toughest part of life, but it’s all a part of life,” the speaker said. Death comes to all of us more quickly than we’d prefer.
Although the couple was officially homeless and lived in a tent, Mr. Burke said they were “extremely proud” of the house they had built for themselves and were “living their best life.”
In addition to having an Xbox and television, they also had a “really huge and gorgeous canvas bell tent,” had access to power, running water, and a fireplace.
He said, “We didn’t live in filth.” ‘No, not at all. We felt comfortable and secure in our house. We were quite proud of it since it was our home.
Ms. Burkitt had aspirations of one day purchasing an acreage with her fiancé and living off the grid and independently.
Coroner John Gittins said Ms. Burkitt died as a result of toxicity from Quetiapine, an antipsychotic drug used to treat depression, at the beginning of an inquest into her death on Monday.
Mr. Burke was undergoing heart surgery at the time, and his mother was left with the heartbreaking chore of properly identifying her after discovering her corpse.
The sudden death of Ms. Burkitt, according to her grandpa Norman, left his family devastated, but they found solace in the knowledge that she had been reunited with her deceased mother.
On the eve of his daughter Bev’s 59th birthday, he paid homage to her by saying, “Jasmine is now safe in your arms.”
Bev, who had an unexplainable dwarfism and lung and respiratory issues, passed away in 2014.
Ms. Burkitt’s death will be the subject of a thorough inquiry at a later time.