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Face to face with her fears: Mother of tragic Jodie-Lee takes on Good Morning Britain Tough Mums challenge

[gallery] The mother of a 29-year-old woman who took her own life tackled a charity challenge that put her face to face with her fear of heights.

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Jackie Desousa, 52, of Bridgtown, Cannock, took on Good Morning Britain's Tough Mums challenge alongside other mothers who are overcoming personal battles.

Jackie's daughter, Jodie-Lee Timmins, took her own life in December after years of battling depression and borderline personality disorder.

In an effort to use her grief over Jodie-Lee's death positively, Jackie has taken to fundraising for Papyrus the suicide prevention charity for young people. After one of her daughters secretly signed Jackie up to take part in Tough Mums, the five kilometre challenge set up by Good Morning Britain, she was faced with confronting her fear of heights.

She said: "It isn't a case of you have to do the whole course, you can leave out a section if you aren't comfortable with it.

"When I found out I was going to be taking part I said to myself that I would do the whole thing, I was determined. I was terrified when it got to the drop though, I had to sit down. Eventually I was pushed by a volunteer, so it was done for me, otherwise I could have still been up there. I thought I was only up there for a a few minutes but apparently it was half an hour."

Other obstacles Jackie faced included a Mud Mile, King of the Swingers and the Pyramid Scheme, all designed to push the inspirational mothers to their limits. And Jackie also got to meet host Ben Shepherd, who she posed for a photograph with.

Jodie-Lee

However, she said that she particularly enjoyed getting to speak to other mothers in a similar position to hers at the all-day event in Grantham, Lincolnshire.

She said: "Taking part really made me aware of how many other people are going through something like I am, which is a positive thing to think about.

"I want to create as much exposure around mental health issues with young people as I can and these women are all working towards their own goals too. Doing fundraising activities like this gives me something to focus on at a tough time for the whole family."

Last month, a coroner ruled Jodie Lee's death was suicide after hearing evidence from police during an inquest.

The mother-of-two was found by officers at her home in Heath Hayes, with toxicology reports indicating that there was no alcohol in her system and only a small amount of traced prescribed drugs.

Jackie said: "There is a lot of attention in the media at the minute on mental illness and that is something that needs to increase. I am trying to do what I can to ensure another family doesn't have to go through what we have."

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