Channel 4 star 'deeply missed' as partner pays emotional tribute saying she 'touched lives of thousands'
The mother-of-two was found dead last September
The partner of a 50-year-old mother of two who was found dead after going missing in Newcastle last year has described how she is 'deeply missed' following her inquest.
The body of Katherine Watson, an ex-army officer who appeared in the TV series Geordie Hospital, was found by Northumbria Police on 20 September, 2024, in Jesmond Dene.
She had suffered long-standing mental health issues which required both community and in-patient treatment.
Katie, as she was lovingly referred to as by friends and family, joined the army at the age of 18 in 1992.
She completed basic training at Army Women's Training Centre in Guilford before moving on to undertake trade training with the Royal Military Police at Chichester.
In the 1990s Katie completed two operational tours to Bosnia and Croatia, and was later deployed as a searcher Corporal in Northern Ireland.
She won the hearts of millions of viewers through her work as a hospital chaplain on the popular Channel 4 programme, which followed the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s staff through a typical shift.
During an inquest into Watson's death on Wednesday, coroner Karin Welsh concluded that her death was suicide.
The inquest heard how Ms Watson had a turbulent upbringing before she joined the military, but that she was dismissed due to her sexuality.
Having served in Bosnia where she witnessed genocide, the inquest heard that she developed PTSD.
The coroner said her work as an Army captain led to her "leading from the front" and in her role as chaplain she took on a role "above and beyond" what could be expected.
"I work closely with people who knew Katie and they always spoke very highly of her and the work she has done," the coroner told family members.
Ms Welsh said the chaplain’s work with families who had suffered the loss of a child was "exceptionally helpful".
The coroner said: "I hope she’s at peace now."
After the hearing, Katherine's partner Dr Emily Watson said: "Katie was a unique, inspiring, compassionate person who touched the lives of thousands of people.
"I am very grateful for the many hundreds of cards and messages I received when she died, and all the stories of how her ministry supported people at some of their darkest times," she added.
"It is desperately sad that she wasn’t able to see for herself how loved she was and I am sorry that mental health services in their current condition were not able to help her.
"She is deeply missed by us all."