‘Octomum’ Mandy Allwood dies of cancer at age 56 after life tragedy cost her 8 children

OCTOMUM Mandy Allwood, who lost all eight of her children, has died aged 56 after a battle with cancer – and will be laid to rest today at the funeral of a poor man.

Mandy caused a stir around the world 26 years ago when she announced that she was expecting bumper records.

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The world will share her grief months later when terrible news emerges of her devastating loss.

Mandy was even comforted by Princess Diana herself.

She gave birth to six boys and two girls at 24 weeks in three days and three nights – but not a single baby survived.

Despite having three children, she never recovered from the trauma of losing her octuplets.

She has gone through virtual pregnancies where she says she can still feel her baby kicking.

Her life spiraled out of control following a devastating loss when she split from partner Paul Hudson and turned to alcoholism.

Mandy was arrested in November 2007 for driving while off-limits when she was carrying her three children in her car.

She then lost custody of the children.

She was also estranged from her family.

In a sad end to a life of suffering, this morning she was cremated in a service funded by the local council without a mourner.

Her close family declined to comment but confirmed to The Sun that they will not be attending.

Mandy’s friend Mark Beard, 58, said: ‘She had been struggling with cancer for a while and had surgery before Christmas but recently told us it came back. I don’t know what kind of cancer it is.”

Mark, the owner of the Yard of Ale pub in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warks, revealed Mandy would show up twice a week.

“She blends in very well and is always available to chat,” he said.

“She’s a bit eccentric and messy but that’s why we love her.

“She sometimes talks about what happened to her, to her eight babies. People often ask her about it.

“When we first met, she told us who she was and she said she’d appeared in magazines before but that’s all.”

Mark said about a dozen of Mandy’s friends plan to toast to her life tonight.

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“We are sending some flowers for a small service,” he explains. The receiver is also sending a number.

“Very sad she will have no one at her funeral.

“They just said a little prayer and I think it’s all over in five minutes.”

“She really has no one and I don’t think she has any contact with her family. What a shame.

“The flowers will be brought here and placed on the bar and about a dozen of us will raise glasses with her.

“We wanted to mark it somehow. It just seems right. ” Mandy named his lost eighties Kypros, Adam, Martyn, Cassius, Nelson, Donald, Kitali, and Layne. They are all laid to rest in tiny white coffins.

TRAGIC DEATHS

When asked about the tragic deaths, Mandy said: “In three days and nights, I had 8 miscarriages.

“I cradled each of them for two and a half hours as they died in my arms. This is terrible. It’s terrible indeed.

“When I felt the last one coming, I said, ‘God, let at least one of them live’.”
Mandy continues to lay flowers for her eight children at West Norwood Cemetery in South London.

“You’ll never forget your boy or girl, but you can’t change it,” she said.

“You’ll always have those memories and you’ll get through it.”

Speaking in 2018 about how Princess Diana contacted her, Mandy said:

“She hugged me, supported me a lot.

“When we first met, she said to me, ‘Thanks for keeping me off the front pages for a change.

“We talked about her depression and my panic attacks and she told me she was there too.

“We talked about her family and she talked a lot about Charles and Camilla.”

Mandy has revealed that Diana contacted each other 5 weeks after her death.

They had two private meetings in late 1996. Diana died the following August.