Tragic It girl Tara '˜was in dark place'

The former It girl was found dead, aged 45, at her London home just months after revealing she had been diagnosed with a brain tumour.

Ivan Massow, the former chairman of the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), told ITV’s This Morning that the pair were “unlikely friends” after they “hit it off” when they shared a car to a charity event at Ascot.

“It was amazing and we were inseparable and remained close ever since,” he said.

But he revealed that in recent weeks it had been difficult to get hold of Palmer-Tomkinson, who, due to her years of drug abuse, had undergone reconstruction surgery to her nose in 2006 after her septum collapsed.

On diagnosis of the tumour, Massow said: “She was facing a lot of problems ... one, it was very hard for her to stay off the drinking and things, and then there was lots of surgery around her mouth and bits and pieces – her nose kept giving her problems.

“She was terribly conscious about that, and then there was this (tumour) on top ... so it was another worry.”

Asked if he thought that she had returned to a “dark place”, Massow said: “Well, I know that every time I didn’t hear from her, that’s where she was ...”