A heartbroken mother has told how her 14-year-old son died suddenly after her family had been filmed for a reality TV show.
Lively Daniel Boughey died in his sleep just hours after Channel 4 crews had left his home, where they were making an episode of Wife Swap.
It is believed he fell victim to Sudden Adult Death Syndrome (SADS).
His mum, Karen Reece, aged 35, of Alton Street, Crewe, said: “Daniel was running around playing on the trampoline. then he went to bed and never woke up. He was so healthy and bright. You can’t imagine finding your son dead and there’s nothing you can do.
“We had a lovely family day the day before when we finished filming Wife Swap, and there were no symptoms.”
Daniel’s body was found on the morning of September 4 by his 17-year-old brother Stewart.
Karen said: “I had shouted up to Stewart to wake Daniel and tidy their room, then gone out in the car with Jessica, my nine-year-old daughter. I drove up the street and Jessica answered a call from Stewart on my mobile.
“She looked at me and said ‘Stewart says we have to go home now. Daniel’s dead.’
I tore back and could tell he had gone but I tried to resuscitate him.
“The guilt is always there because I think I should have been able to do something.”
Karen’s cousin, Kerry Roe, who lives next-door-but-one to the family told The Sentinel how she raced to help after hearing Karen run outside screaming.
The 21-year-old said: “I just said ‘he can’t be, he was fine yesterday.’
“I helped the paramedics get to Daniel but he had gone. It was horrible, such a shock.
“Daniel was so full of life, a lovely, typical 14-year-old into X-men and Star Wars.
“He was so excited about filming Wife Swap and being on television. then he went to bed and never woke up. If it can happen to him, it can happen to anyone.”
The tragedy has stunned the close-knit family.
Daniel’s Star Wars-themed funeral was held last Friday at Crewe Crematorium.
Alan Moore, who taught the teenager at Ruskin Sports College, spoke at the funeral, saying: “Daniel wasn’t embarrassed to tell me he loved his mum and his mum loved him.
“He was a lucky boy in so many ways and will be remembered and missed a lot.”
The Wife Swap programme featuring the family and another family from Torquay has now been shelved.
A spokesman for producers RDF Television said: “We are extremely saddened to learn of the death of Daniel. As a mark of respect to Daniel and his family, post-production of the programme will no longer continue and the programme will not now be transmitted in the current run.”
But Daniel’s family hope their episode will be aired in the near future.
Kerry added: “It is what he would have wanted and we want it shown so people can see what he was like.”
Anyone affected by SADS can get in touch with Cardiac Risk in the Young (Cry) or donated by calling 01727 363 222.
