William Hughes (born 1998)
William Hughes | |
|---|---|
 Hughes (left) landing a blow in February 2018 | |
| Born | 12 May 1998 Swansea, Wales |
| Died | 9 July 2018 (aged 20) Corfu, Greece |
| Alma mater | Queen Mary University of London |
William Hughes (12 May 1998 – 9 July 2018) was a Welsh boxer and child actor from Mumbles, Swansea.[1]
Acting
As a child, Hughes appeared in several episodes of the television programme
He also appeared in the spin-off Torchwood in 2008, as a different character called Alex Grainger in the serial Sleeper.[2]
Boxing
Hughes began boxing at age 9[3] in Bon-y-maen, at the ABC Boxing gym[1] and won three Welsh titles. He became the protege of Enzo Maccarinelli, the Welsh World Champion boxer, and won a British Championship at the GB Amateur Boxing Championships in 2011 for Wales, in the 42 kg class.[4] He continued with the sport, and in early 2017 he fought in a charity white-collar boxing exhibition match, raising money for cancer research, working with sports company Ultra White Collar Boxing.[5] From autumn 2017, he joined the Elite Athlete Programme at Queen Mary University of London,[3] also studying a degree in Finance there.[1] In 2018, he also fought with the club Repton.[6] With Queen Mary's, he won Gold at the 2017/18 British Universities and Colleges Sport championships.[7] He shares a name with the 1930s Welsh champion boxer William, or Billy, "Kid" Hughes.
Death
In July 2018, Hughes took a trip to the Greek island of Corfu to celebrate finishing his exams from his first year of studies at Queen Mary's. On 9 July – the last night of his holiday – Hughes was found unresponsive following an attempted suicide. He was transferred to hospital but could not be resuscitated. Following an inquest, which concluded the 20-year-old had taken his own life, his body was flown back to the UK.[8][9]
His former school in Swansea, Bishop Vaughan Catholic School, released a statement sending their thoughts and prayers to his family and saying that he was "an exceptionally talented sportsman" during his time there. His coach and friend, Enzo Maccarinelli, posted a tweet and released statements calling his "little protege" "a tremendously talented kid" with "dreams of competing as a professional [boxer]" and "everything going for him", and saying that he was "heartbroken".[10][11]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007–2010 | Doctor Who | The Master (age 8) | 3 episodes |
| 2008 | Torchwood | Alex Grainger | Episode: Sleeper |
References
- ^ a b c "William Hughes 1998–2018". Doctor Who News. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
- ^ a b "William Hughes Doctor Who Guide". Retrieved 15 July 2018.
- ^ a b "QMUL Elite Athlete Programme: William Hughes". Retrieved 15 July 2018.
- ^ "2011 GB Schoolboy 3 Nation Championships". Retrieved 15 July 2018.
- ^ "William Hughes is fundraising for Cancer Research UK". JustGiving. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
- ^ "Evening of Amateur Boxing Sunderland Stadium of Light". GB Boxing. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
- ^ "BUCS 2017–18 Boxing Day Three". Retrieved 15 July 2018.
- ^ "Promising boxer dies in Corfu celebrating end of first year uni exams". Metro Online. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
- ^ "Dad's grief after son, 20, took his own life on last night of Corfu lads' holiday". Mirror Online. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
- ^ "Tributes paid to young Swansea boxer who died in Greece". BBC Wales. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
- ^ "A 'tremendously talented' young Swansea man is understood to have been found dead on a Greek island". Wales Online. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
External links
- William Hughes at IMDb