Who was Beau Jessup? British actress and 'Loose Women' star Lisa Maxwell's daughter dies while studying at Columbia University in New York City aged 27

British actress and television host Lisa Maxwell's daughter has died at the age of 27. Beau Jessup had been studying journalism at the Columbia University in New York City at the time of her death, the university said in a statement on Wednesday (Nov. 11). The school did not reveal any information about the cause of her death.

Columbia University issues statement

"Columbia Journalism School mourns the loss of Beau Jessup, a student in our MS program," the Ivy League university wrote in a post on social media. "We join Jessup’s family, friends and classmates in remembering her."


"We extend our deepest condolences to her family, friends, classmates and all who knew and loved her," the school said in a separate statement.

Beau was the daughter of Lisa, a former panelist on the chat show "Loose Women" also known for starring in the police drama "The Bill", and Paul Jessup, who runs the Great British Teddy Bear Company.

Beau was to graduate in 2027

Beau was due to graduate from her master's program in May next year. In September, she had featured in the school’s official "Class of 2027” photograph. Lisa shared a post at the time, writing: "Congratulations guys! Especially my daughter Beau over in NYC making us all super proud."

At the age of 16, Beau had launched a website to help Chinese parents pick English names for their children, which went viral and became widely used.

On Wednesday, the university shared an unpublished interview recorded with Beau last month "in memory of her far-too-brief life and experience at Columbia and in New York City".

Beau talked about passion for journalism

In that interview, she talked about her hope of becoming a journalist and writer. "I was less interested in starting businesses than in finding ways to connect with people."

"As the daughter of a television actress, I grew up with an unusual awareness of the distance between people’s lives and the stories told about them," Beau said, adding: "I was curious, from quite a young age, about who gets to tell people’s stories, and what happens when those stories enter the public domain."

Beau was also passionate about theater and wrote her first play, "The Sandbag", while studying at the University of Cambridge in England.

Columbia said Beau was drawn toward "cultural journalism, particularly how institutions, identity, and social expectations influence the way we live and understand one another."