Kirsty MacColl’s tragic last words during boat accident that killed her
The son of late singer Kirsty MacColl revealed the final words she uttered before she was tragically killed when a speedboat careered into her.
The 41-year-old's life was cut short on 18 December, 2000, after a family diving trip turned deadly in Cozumel, Mexico.
A quarter of a century on from Kirsty's untimely passing, the man who was driving the boat - Jose Cen Yam - has now spoken out about the deadly incident.
Breaking his 25-year silence, the former deckhand has shared his side of the story, while insisting that he has told 'the truth' about what happened all along.
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Cen Yam claimed that he was travelling 'at about five miles an hour' and 'didn’t see anyone in the water' when he manoeuvred the boat into the area where Kirsty and her kids were diving.
Despite watercraft being restricted from entering this spot, he insists the incident that took the 'Fairytale of New York' singer's life was 'an accident', saying: "I don't feel it was my fault."
Detailing the moment that he realised the speedboat had struck something, Cen Yam told the Mail on Sunday: "I heard a propeller make a very strange noise.
"It was really weird, a whirring like something hit it," he said. "There was no bang in the boat, just the noise of a propeller doing this weird stuff. I thought, 'I've gone over something'.
"So I slowed and went to the back of the boat and I saw her there. She was definitely dead. There was nothing I could do to save her life."
Kirsty's son's recollection of that fateful day is even more harrowing - as her youngest child, Louis, has previously spoken out about the 'traumatic' memories he has of it.
Although 'a lot of what happened is still a blur' and he 'doesn't really remember too much', he explained that he has had to undergo 'a lot of therapy' to help him deal with it.
While diving in the Chankanaab reef, Louis and his late mother were the first to surface - while his brother Jamie, then 15, and Kirsty's boyfriend James Knight followed behind them.
As Kirsty spotted the speedboat veering towards them, she bravely pushed her eldest son out of the way.
Both Kirsty and Jamie were struck by one of the vessel's propellers, but he only suffered minor injuries, as his oxygen tank sustained most of the blow.
However, his mum suffered serious injuries to her head and chest, which killed her almost instantly.
Louis, who was only 13 years old at the time, previously revealed the last words he heard his mother say before the boat driven by Cen Yam hit her.
"She suddenly screamed, 'Look out!' and tried to push us out of the way," he recalled. "The boat was already over us - I could see the propellers.
"I was swimming in Mummy's blood. I screamed that she'd been hit, and to swim the other way and not look back."
Speaking to the Daily Express in November, Louis revealed how he still experiences 'flashbacks' of the 'graphic' incident that killed his mother.
He said: "I can’t remember the exact details of that trip to Mexico, but I can remember being in the water and thinking, ‘Where’s Jamie?’
"He and I have spoken about it from time to time and I still have flashbacks. It was and is so graphic. We could only have been in the water a few minutes afterwards before they got us out.
"I don't really remember too much."
He explained he didn't feel comfortable 'talking to a stranger about the worst thing that has happened to you' as a teenager, but later found solace in therapy sessions when he grew up.
"Later on though my 20s, I was seeing patterns of behaviour in myself and decided I should try it," Louis went on. "I have had a lot of therapy since and that has helped."
He explained he was left with a fear of swimming, diving and boats in wake of the tragedy, but has now managed to overcome this.
"I have even been snorkelling again and driven a boat," Louis added. "Mum really loved the sea and she would have been gutted if I was missing out on a beautiful thing."
Topics: Celebrity, Parenting, Celebrity News, Music, World News
Olivia Burke