Holly Hagan speaks out on heartbreaking death of sister for first time

Holly Hagan has spoken for the first time about her little sister’s death after she overdosed on crystal MDMA in October.

The former Geordie Shore cast member sat down in a tell-all interview for the very first time since her sister, 19-year-old Darci Rose Gibson, passed away.

On 21 October, Hagan had revealed her death online, but didn’t give away details, as she and her family needed time to grieve.

The reality TV star, 33, said in a statement shared to social media: "The last four days have been something I hope no family ever has to go through. We are traumatised in every sense of the word.

"One day we will share Darci's story. But for now I please ask that you do respect our privacy and allow us to process what has happened."

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) went on to tell LADbible Group at that time: "On Sunday 19 October 2025, we were called by hospital staff to the concern for the welfare of a 19-year-old woman who had fallen seriously ill after it is believed she had taken drugs.

"Sadly, the woman died in hospital on Monday evening. Our thoughts remain with her family at this difficult time. Enquiries are ongoing."

Hagan sat down with the Daily Mail and explained what really happened that night when Darci attended the Warehouse Project nightclub in Manchester and poured crystal MDMA into her drink.

Allegedly, less than 48 hours after taking the form of MDMA for the ‘first’ time, she fell ill and vomited. She later became confused and started screaming, said Hagan.

But things only got worse.

Holly, who is mother to two-year-old Alpha-Jax and is also expecting her second child with husband Jacob Blyth, said it all began when her stepdad, Darci’s biological dad, John, took her to Manchester.

As they live in Middlesbrough, Hagan said John would take his daughter wherever she wanted to go, even on the two-hour journey to the city.

But at 5am, she was woken up by a knock at her door and 130 missed calls, when a text message alerted her that she needed to go to the Manchester Royal Infirmary, as something had happened to her sister.

“My whole body was in fight mode; I sat on the toilet shaking,” Hagan explained.

When she got there, doctors shared that Darci had suffered two cardiac arrests, and had no brain activity due to her body heating up so much after taking the accidental overdose that her brain swelled, and she showed no signs of life.

“With her body heating up so much, her brain was swelling tremendously, but they didn't know how much until they did the scan,” Hagan explained. “They said that the swelling was very extreme, and they presumed there would be no signs of life when they did the tests.”

While she said Darci had taken the drug before in another form and was partial to doing drugs at similar events, she was ‘responsible’ and would take a small amount.

However, being in a dark nightclub, she said, may have made it hard to know how much she was dosing.

“My one regret is not messaging her saying, ‘Are you taking anything tonight? What are you taking? Please be careful’,” the reality star said.

Revealing that her sister’s death was ‘a better option’ than recovering and having profound needs because of the damage, Hagan urged others to take this as a warning.

She added: “I really want people to take from this that just because you have taken a drug before, and it hasn't had a negative impact on you, it doesn't mean you are safe.

“Every single time that you take a drug, you are playing with fire. As safe as you think you are being, what we have learned from this is that you can make a mistake and accidentally have slightly too much. You do not want your family to go through what we have gone through.

“I get that it's a fun time on drugs, and for the majority, they get to go home at the end of the night, but for the one odd person, they don't.”

According to Talk To Frank, MDMA is a risky drug which can cause users to overheat and get dehydrated, and it asks that people check on their friends who are in clubs, as they are in an environment which makes a person more prone to getting too hot as they are dancing, packed in a room.

If you want friendly, confidential advice about drugs, you can talk to FRANK. You can call 0300 123 6600, text 82111 or contact through their website 24/7, or livechat from 2pm-6pm any day of the week