A SUPERYACHT stewardess, 21, took her own life following a heated row with her boyfriend, two months after she was sacked for a drunken night out, an inquest has heard.

Imogen Amesbury was asked to leave the luxury yacht Queen Miri docked off St Martin in the Caribbean, after coming back and high on cocaine in November 2021.

NINTCHDBPICT001103770669Superyacht stewardess Imogen Amesbury took her own life after a heated row with her boyfriend Credit: Family handout/BNPS NINTCHDBPICT001103738286Despite losing her job, Imogen had come back from the Caribbean in ‘high spirits’ Credit: BNPS

The young stewardess returned home to Lyme Regis, Dorset, rekindling a with her ex, Andrew Hewitt, Bournemouth Coroner’s Court heard today.

The two had fallen out while staying at Imogen’s mum’s home on January 12, 2022, with Hewitt leaving the house at 4.10am.

Imogen followed him for a short while, then later told him on the phone that she was “going to kill herself and wanted to die”.

Hewitt dismissed her , telling her “don’t be stupid” before she told him to “f*** off” and hung up on him.

Her ex did not raise the alarm following the harrowing phone call and her mum discovered her body at the property later that day.

The cause of death given was hanging.

Alex Sawyer, who worked as a chef on Queen Miri, said: “She lost her job on the in November 2021 as she had been on a night out and returned drunk and under the influence of cocaine.

“I think she had been given a previous verbal and written warning so she was fired and had to leave the yacht at St Martin.”

Despite losing her job, she had apparently returned home in “high spirits”.

However, the court heard how the 21-year-old had previously struggled with her mental health, including a two-week stint in The Priory treatment centre in 2021.

Mum Marie Amesbury broke down in tears as she paid a heartwrenching tribute to her daughter, who was awarded an art scholarship at Queen’s College Taunton and was also a talented sportswoman.

She said: “Imo was gentle and warmhearted but quietly determined, adventurous and courageous.

“At 19 she became a stewardess on . She was my most beautiful, talented and adventurous child.”

She added that her daughter had had “so much more” life to live and pursue her talents.

“There are no words that can adequately describe the deep pain her death has left in her family or what it means to try and create our lives without her,” she said.

If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans for free on 116123.

Her father, Peter Woolford, wept as he blamed his daughter’s ex for her death, believing she was “under the control and duress” of Hewitt.

“I have been in the room with her when she’s had a drink and she was erudite, funny, articulate and intelligent,” he said.

“And then in a room with Andrew and she fell apart.

“He stole money from her, insulted her, sent her text messages when he’s putting 1p in her .

“He demeaned her, told her his adulterous affairs, disrespected her.”

He said he feared Hewitt was only going to do it again and that “another family” would end up at an inquest.

“Imo pulled the trigger but Mr Hewitt loaded the magazine with bullets that she fired,” he said.

“The control he had was astonishing and when I told her it was toxic she defended him.

“It was under duress.”

How to get help

EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide

It doesn’t discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.

It’s the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.

And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.

Yet it’s rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.

If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:

Hewitt, giving evidence, said the two of them had tried to separate before but were “too deeply intertwined” with one another.

Reflecting on her threats to kill herself, he said: “I thought it was at the time an empty threat as she had been known to say it.

“When she spoke to me on the phone she sounded so nonchalant about killing herself but I didn’t think she was being serious.”

He was asked if he had ever hit Imogen or threatened to send intimate pictures of her, which he denied.

Hewitt was also asked whether he had ever texted her to “go kill herself”, to which he replied no comment.

A toxicology report revealed Imogen had been inebriated when she died, at nearly three times over the alcohol drink drive limit.

She had also taken a “recreational” amount of cocaine.

Her family raised concerns about the on-off nature of her relationship with Hewitt and the impact it had on her mental state, the court head.

The inquest in Bournemouth continues.