Mandy Allwood: Tributes to ‘Octomum’ who lost all eight of her babies as dies from cancer aged 56

Neighbours and friends say mother ‘with heart of gold’ never recovered after losing children in 1996

Mandy Allwood, who made global headlines in 1996 after announcing her octuplets pregnancy, has died from cancer aged 56 (PA)

Tributes have been paid to Britain’s “Octomum” who has died from cancer at the age of 56.

Mandy Allwood made global headlines after she announced she was expecting octuplets with her then boyfriend Paul Hudson in 1996.

But tragically she lost the six boys and two girls after going into labour early at 24 weeks, giving birth to them over the course of three days.

Ms Allwood was expected to be cremated in a service funded by the local council with no mourners present on Friday morning.

The mother went on to have three children – but neighbours and friends have revealed she “never recovered” from the trauma of losing her babies and battled alcohol addiction before her death.

One neighbour in Stratford-upon-Avon described Ms Allwood as having a “heart of gold” and said the area would be quieter without her.

“She was certainly a character to say the least, but she never recovered from what happened to her,” said one resident, who did not want to be named.

“You can’t even imagine the trauma she went through so it’s understandable I suppose but she did have her struggles with the bottle.

“It will certainly be quieter around here; she was rather eccentric. Despite her problems, she had a heart of gold.”

Mandy Allwood and boyfriend Paul Hudson visit the grave of their eight babies on the first anniversary of the funeral in October 1997 (Fiona Hanson/PA)

Ms Allwood’s friend Mark Beard said she underwent an operation at the end of last year but her cancer returned.

He told The Sun: “She had been struggling with cancer for a while and had an operation before Christmas but told us recently that it had come back. I don’t know what sort of cancer it was.”

The pub landlord, who runs the Yard of Ale, said Ms Allwood would come in twice a week.

“She blended in really well and was always up for a chat,” he said.

“She was a bit eccentric and nutty but that’s why we loved her.

Friends and neighbours say Mandy Allwood never recovered from the trauma of losing her eight babies in 1996 (SWNS)

“She sometimes spoke about what happened to her, with the eight babies. People would often ask her about it.

“When we first met, she told us who she was and she said she had been in magazines in the past but that was it.”

A woman who gave her name only as Sue said she often helped Ms Allwood when she could because she felt sorry for her.

“I tried to give her what she needed and help,” she said. “It was a shame, I felt sorry for her – but it was just too much to handle.”

“It is a bit of a relief, she added. “She flooded the flat underneath her when she overfilled her bath. The guy in the flat below couldn't do anything to stop it.”

Ms Allwood went on to have three children with Mr Hudson but the couple eventually split.

The eight babies were buried at West Norwood Cemetery, in south London, in tiny white coffins (PA)

The mother later revealed she was comforted personally by Princess Diana, whom she met twice in private before her death in 1997.

In a recent interview she told how she struggled with alcohol addiction following the miscarriages.

She was caught drink-driving with her three children in the car in 2007. She subsequently lost custody of them and became estranged from her family.

Ms Allwood was also arrested for fraud in December 1996 but spared jail after admitting to the offences.

She named her lost octuplets Kypros, Adam, Martyn, Cassius, Nelson, Donald, Kitali and Layne.

The children were all buried in West Norwood Cemetery, in south London, in tiny white coffins.

Additional reporting by SWNS