Olympic swimmer Helen Smart found dead by four-year-old daughter who told dad 'mummy won't wake up'

17 August 2023, 05:50

Olympic swimmer Helen Smart was found dead by her four-year-old daughter who told her dad that she couldn't wake her up.

The athlete, who specialised in the backstroke and won medals in the Commonwealth Games and World Championships, died suddenly at the weekend aged just 42.

Her mother Linda has revealed the tragedy of how her four-year-old daughter found her and believed she was not waking up.

"Heidi had woken up in the night and tried to get into bed with her," she told the Mail.

Read more: 'Learn from this and live your best life': Tributes pour in after Team GB Olympic swimmer Helen Smart dies aged 42

"She said to her daddy, 'Mummy won't wake up''.

"He said, 'Oh, she must be very tired Heidi - you go back to bed'.

"He put the torch on and he said later that when he looked he could tell."

Smart competed at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney under her maiden name Helen Don Duncan.

The mother-of-two had enjoyed a glittering career as she took bronze in the 1998 Commonwealth Games and silver in the World and European Championships.

Read more: Sharron Davies leads tributes to Olympic swimmer Helen Smart after her sudden death aged 42

She retried from swimming after the Sydney Olympics and moved into teaching, eventually becoming head of Worsley Mesnes Community Primary School in Wigan.

Smart's husband, Craig, said she "loved the school, staff, children and parents so much" and was "so proud" to have become a headteacher.

He said: "I remember only last week she said her goal was to get the school to outstanding and that she had the right staff to achieve this!"

"Please learn from this and live your best life, no regrets, take lots of photos, make memories and keep smiling just like Helen always did!" he added.

The swimming world mourned her death, with Sharron Davies tweeting: "This is very sad news. Always a pleasure to interview & always a huge smile on her face. A Fierce competitor."