Mum and The Voice stylist died after doctors dismissed her headaches three times

Octavia Hughes asked for help in the days before her death. She leaves behind an eight-year-old daughter

A beloved mum and former stylist on The Voice went to the doctor three times in the days before her death, but was told she had a migraine and to go home.

Octavia Hughes died from a bleed on the brain after being rushed to hospital with stroke symptoms caused by a torn artery in her neck. The 38-year-old, known as ‘Tav’, leaves behind her eight-year-old daughter Dolly and a community of grieving family and friends.

Hospital bosses have offered their condolences to Octavia’s family and said they will “do all we can” to give them answers. Octavia, a fashion designer and owner of a popular second-hand clothing shop in Whitstable, had started getting headaches while walking at Manchester Fashion Week in early September.

She first sought medical help on September 14, when she went to her GP and was reportedly told she was having a migraine and sent home. The mum-of-one also called 111 before attending A&E at the QEQM Hospital in Margate the next day, and was told the same thing, according to friend Paula Chappell.

When her condition did not improve, she went back to A&E on September 17, but was again reportedly sent home. Her family say that the next morning, Octavia woke up with stroke symptoms and was rushed to Kent and Canterbury Hospital, where she had emergency surgery. It is understood that her stroke was caused by a torn artery in her neck.

Octavia then suffered a bleed on the brain and was transferred to King’s College Hospital in London where – despite medics’ best efforts – her family was told there was nothing they could do. Octavia’s organs were donated while she stayed on life support, and she died on September 23.

Paula said: “I think that’s what’s so horrific is that we should have never got to the point we did on Friday. By the time we got to that point, we were just on a downward spiral. She was never a complainer. She wasn’t one of those people who moan about not being well. She’d be a trooper.

“She was walking at Manchester Fashion Week the weekend before, even when the headaches had started to come on. She would never go to the GP, never complain and was definitely not someone that would go three times for no reason.”

Her sudden death has now left friends and family to care for Dolly. “They were little mini besties,” said Paula, who runs an art gallery and met Octavia eight years ago. She would feature on her socials all the time. We all adore our children, I know we do, but their bond was something I’ve never seen.

“We’ve got Dolly to look after and that’s the focus now, to try and make sure that we can get the funds so she can still do the things that Tav would have done with her. We just need to make sure there’s a small bit of financial security in the interim, whilst everything is going on, so we don’t always have to worry about finances as well.”

Paula set up a fundraiser which has already amassed more than £26,000 in donations. “I can’t believe it,” she said. “It shows us how much she was loved by people who didn’t even know her.”

Octavia studied fashion promotion at Southampton Solent University. Her first job after uni was as a stylist’s assistant on The Voice UK, before she worked for several years as a freelance TV stylist. She also ran a pub with her brother, styled e-commerce shoots and worked as an art director for major UK brands. She moved to Whitstable 10 years ago and had her daughter.

In 2019 she set up We Sell By the Sea, followed by Prelove and Reloved. This year, she opened No.86 as a home for her second-hand business in Whitstable High Street. “She’s the friend who knew everything about me,” said Paula. “She’s the one who knows my secrets, the one I would message a hundred times a day.

“She changed my life. I’m not by any means an introvert and I’m quite outgoing, but we danced and we laughed harder and louder together than I ever have with anyone.

“She was loved by everyone. It’s left a hole in all of our hearts, and we will miss her forever.”

A spokesperson for East Kent Hospitals University Foundation Trust, which runs the QEQM and Kent and Canterbury Hospital, said: “We offer our sincere condolences to Octavia’s family. We will do all we can to answer their questions and will also work with the coroner to understand the circumstances of Octavia’s death.”

You can donate to the fundraiser here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-support-dolly-through-this-unbearable-loss?cp_src=d