How couple’s dream of a quieter life descended into tragedy

It was meant to be a fresh start in the idyllic Norfolk countryside for Emma Izzard – a new chapter filled with clean air, peaceful days and hope for the future.

But the charity worker who once appeared on the BBC’s Escape to the Country in pursuit of that dream has tragically died, after a secret battle with alcoholism spiralled beyond her control.

Emma, 53, featured on the popular property show in 2021 alongside her then partner, Kym Lofthouse, as the pair searched for a ‘slower pace of life’ away from the hustle of their home in Luton.

Guided by presenter Ginny Buckley, the couple were filmed touring charming homes dotted across Norfolk – eventually settling in the market town of North Walsham. Though they later separated, the two women remained close.

An inquest last week at Norfolk Coroner’s Court heard how Emma’s promising new life soon began to unravel. Behind closed doors, she was struggling with alcohol addiction – a fight that intensified following a devastating personal blow.

Speaking at her home in a village outside North Walsham, Kym Lofthouse reflected on the painful irony of Emma’s broken dream, telling MailOnline: ‘We came here for our escape and things went wrong.’

It had been an exciting time when the couple decided to go on TV to find their new home in the country.

Kym, a former soldier who went to school in Suffolk, had Tweeted in September 2020: ‘It’s a wrap! Filming complete and what an amazing few days working with the Escape to the Country team’.

But last week she chronicled Emma’s tragic demise before the coroner.

‘[Emma’s] alcohol levels increased when her mother was taken to hospital in July 2022, and she thought she was going to lose her,’ she told the hearing, according to The Eastern Daily Press.

‘After six months of secret drinking, she wanted to stop but couldn’t get the help required quickly enough and began drinking again.’

Despite multiple attempts at rehab, the court was told, Emma relapsed each time. ‘Emma did not want to drink but it had taken a strong hold of her,’ Ms Lofthouse added.

And her mother, who had died shortly before Miss Izzard’s own passing, struggled with mental ill health – something Miss Izzard supported her with.

Miss Lofthouse added: ‘Emma had a very strong bond with her mother.

‘Emma lived with her for many years and continued to look after her even when she did move out.’

On 19 November last year, Emma was rushed by ambulance to Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital after she began vomiting blood at her home. The following day, she suffered a cardiac arrest during a medical procedure known as a gastroscopy. Doctors were unable to save her.

Her cause of death was recorded as an oesophageal and variceal bleed, with alcohol-related liver disease. Coroner Johanna Thompson concluded that Ms Izzard’s death was alcohol-related, noting a ‘history of excess alcohol consumption’.

She said the 53-year-old had presented to hospital with ‘symptoms of acute alcohol withdrawal’ and, despite best efforts, her condition could not be reversed.

Tragically, the court also heard how Emma’s father – who died when she was still a teenager – had also struggled with alcoholism, casting a long shadow over her life.

When the couple first moved to Norfolk, Emma’s Facebook posts were full of enthusiasm over the new life they had found, and she changed her profile photo to one of her standing, arms aloft on a paddle board.

On her 50th birthday in July 2021, she posted: ‘Wow what an amazing couple of weeks celebrating my 50th. Thank you for all my FB messages and to all my lovely friends who travelled to Norfolk to help me celebrate, ❤️ߒ?❤️It’s been the best.

‘Looking forward to more friends coming to celebrate over the next month. How long can I drag this out for Kym Lofthouse.’

And in September of that year, she told how the pair had ‘christened the new kayaks today in the beautiful Norfolk sunshine. Loved every minute of it.’

After their amicable separation, Emma remained in North Walsham and bought a modest semi-detached home on a quiet housing estate. Neighbours recalled a woman determined to rebuild her life.

Mark Sowerbutts, 66, who moved into the same street just a week before Emma, told the Mail: ‘I remember when she moved in. She gave me a potted history of what had happened.

‘She said she had split up with her partner, quite amicably.’

Mr Sowerbutts said Emma threw herself into getting the house set up. ‘She was just 100 per cent getting moved in here and getting things sorted out.

‘She seemed totally gung-ho about getting things organised,’ he said.

‘She had bought a BBQ and I helped her bring it around.’

He also recalled a woman who appeared cheerful and upbeat – and gave no indication of the demons she was battling privately.

‘She never gave the impression she had alcohol problems,’ he said.

‘She moved here from somewhere local. She seemed fairly cheerful. She was getting really into the swing of things.

‘It was quite a shock [to find out she’d died]. She seemed to be getting on with her life fairly well, so it was a shock.’

Mr Sowerbutts also described a regular visitor to the home – a woman believed to be Kym – who would arrive periodically with a dog the pair still shared.

‘A woman used to come and visit her. She used to say they had shared ownership of a dog and periodically the woman would come and bring the dog and the dog would stay a day or two,’ he added.

But behind the façade of a new beginning, Emma’s struggles persisted – worsened by grief, isolation, and a battle for support that came too late.