BBC 'devastated' by death of 'Holby City' actress five days after balcony fall

The actress Laura Sadler died in hospital yesterday five days after falling from a balcony. Ms Sadler, who appeared in Holby City, suffered serious head injuries when she fell 40 feet from a flat in Holland Park, west London.

She failed to regain consciousness and her family made the decision to switch off her life-support machine on Wednesday night. She died yesterday afternoon. A spokesman at Charing Cross Hospital in west London said: "We regret to announce the death of Laura Sadler, who died peacefully at 5.30pm on 19 June. Her family were present at her bedside. We would be grateful if the privacy of Laura's family would be respected."

Ms Sadler was at the flat of George Calil, her boyfriend and co-star, when she fell from the balcony in the early hours of Sunday morning. Mr Calil, who plays Ms Sadler's drug-dealer boyfriend in the hospital drama, was arrested and questioned about the incident, and released on police bail pending further inquiries.

He said he was "absolutely devastated" after the incident.

Michelle Milburn, Ms Sad-ler's agent, said last night: "It is difficult to express how great a loss this is for Laura's family and friends. She was loved by everyone, for her kindness and generosity of spirit. Her greatest gift was her ability to bring out the best in all who were lucky enough to know her. We will all miss her greatly."

The BBC paid tribute to the "much loved" actress, who joined Holby City three years ago. Mal Young, the controller of drama series, said: "Everyone at Holby City, and indeed, across the BBC, are devastated by this news. Laura was a much-loved, talented and respected actress. Television has lost a talent who had so much more to give. We, and her many fans, will miss her greatly."

Lorraine Heggessey, the controller of BBC1, said: "I'm devastated that we have lost such a talented young actress. When I first met Laura on Grange Hill it was clear she had enormous potential. She was a sweet, modest, hard-working girl and will be much missed."

On Tuesday, the BBC screened an episode of Holby City featuring the 22-year-old, who played staff nurse Sandy Harper, after consulting her family.

An actress from childhood, Ms Sadler began dance classes at the age of three, and attended the Sylvia Young Theatre School in north London. By the time she was nine she had starred in an episode of the popular detective programme Inspector Morse.She went on to feature in a string of stage and television productions, including the Ruth Rendell mysteries, and joined the school drama Grange Hill in 1997.