Wigan woman took her own life just days after affair with married man came to an end

Emily Josephine Henthorn, from Leigh, had been suffering with mental health issues for years when she killed herself on May 7 this year.

An inquiry into the 25-year-old’s death, held at Bolton Coroners’ Court yesterday, heard how Emily was struggling with the breakdown of a relationship with married man, Andrew Hardman, and threatened to take her own life just days before she was found dead at her home in Union Street from hypoxia.

Alan Walsh, acting senior coroner for Manchester West, heard evidence from family members and another ex-partner, Amy Corrigan, who said that the part-time events co-ordinator was a very “private person” who was able to cover how she was really feeling.

Darren Henthon, Ms Henthorn’s dad gave evidence, saying: “She had always had issues. Emily, to me was always a very private person and she wouldn’t readily talk about things because she felt ashamed about it. She would suffer alone and not share that.

“She would walk out of the front door and the face would go on and no one would know.”

The inquest heard how Emily had been in a relationship previously for around six years with Ms Corrigan, but that their contact had broken down prior to her death.

Mr Henthorn explained that five months before his daughter took her life, in January, she told him she was in a new relationship with Mr Hardman and that they were thinking of moving in together.

Shortly before her death, on April 27, the relationship between the pair broke down when Ms Henthorn’s lover told his wife and decided to end the affair. I don't know the full details,” said her dad. “I knew that Mr Hardman hadn’t moved in with her and that was causing a great deal of anxiety.”

Five days after the split, Ms Henthorn called Mr Hardman saying that she “couldn’t live” without him and that her life “was not worth living.”

Concerned about her welfare he called the emergency services who turned up at her dad’s home.

Police, paramedics and Mr Henthorn travelled to Ms Henthorn’s house on Union Street but when they arrived found that she was “calm” and insistent that she was not suicidal.

Police officers called senior nurse practitioner at the North West Boroughs Healthcare at which point Ms Henthorn insisted she was not suicidal and said the threats were a “method of manipulation” to get her partner to come back to her.

Mr Hardman said he had “no idea” about Ms Henthorn’s previous mental health issues with anxiety and depression and that she was a “really really nice” person who was “pleasant” and “hard working”.

The coroner heard evidence from Ms Henthorn’s ex, Ms Corrigan, who said that she had received an email from Ms Henthorn on May 1, the week before her death, saying that she was going to end her own life. She too called emergency services and tried multiple times to contact Ms Henthorn but received no response.

Ms Corrigan told the coroner that Ms Henthorn had a “life plan” she wanted to execute by the age of 25 which included getting married, owning a house and having a stable career and her dad said she felt she hadn’t achieved this.

After hearing all the evidence the coroner said that he was certain Ms Henthorn had intended to take her own life.

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