One of Fleet Street's most respected journalists who was behind the notorious photo of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Jeffrey Epstein in New York has died aged 66.
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who → die → York
British freelance reporter Annette Witheridge worked with photographer Jae Donnelly to capture the photo of the King's brother and the convicted paedophile in 2010.
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Witheridge → work → 2010
The picture of the two men in Central Park was crucial as it revealed they still had a friendship, two years after the American financier pleaded guilty to child sex charges.
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financier → reveal → charges
Ms Witheridge was also one of the first reporters on the scene after 9/11, given she was only two blocks away when the first tower of the World Trade Center collapsed.
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tower → give → Center
She had a string of other scoops, including being the first journalist to find singer Gary Glitter in Cuba after he was accused of possessing child pornography in 1997.
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he → have → 1997
Ms Witheridge also went undercover on tour with Oasis and had a drinking session with Noel and Liam Gallagher - and ghost wrote a book with Eminem's mother.
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Witheridge → go → mother
Friends remembered Ms Witheridge as a raconteur and generous host at her annual summer parties who was always telling war stories from her long career.
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who → remember → career
She retired in 2018 after 24 years based in New York and returned to the UK to spend more time with her family, who announced her death on social media last Friday.
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who → retire → media
They said in a statement: 'Heartbreaking news.
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They → say → news
Our lovely Annette passed away this afternoon after a brief illness.
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Annette → pass → illness
Her family and friends here and overseas are devastated.
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family → devastate → ?
'
Annette Witheridge, one of Fleet Street's most respected journalists, has died aged 66
Ms
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Witheridge → die → journalists
Witheridge was born in Sutton Coldfield in 1960 and began her journalism career on the Tamworth Herald and Coventry Evening Telegraph – before getting her first staff job on a national newspaper at the now-defunct News of the World aged 23.
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Witheridge → bear → World
She was often working in the US so decided to move to New York in 1995 and set up an agency called Big Apple News with Allan Hall, a journalist now based in Berlin.
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In 1997, Ms Witheridge tracked down Glitter and also covered the trial of British au pair Louise Woodward, who was jailed for shaking a baby to death in Boston.
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who → track → Boston
Another huge period of her career came in 2001 after the 9/11 attacks, when she was so quickly on the scene that she arrived before the barricades had even gone up.
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barricades → come → scene
Speaking to fellow New York freelancer Daniel Bates in Press Gazette in 2018, she said: 'I was two blocks away when the first tower collapsed.
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tower → speak → 2018
I remember an odd rumble, astonishingly quiet, followed by massive black cloud snapping at my heels.
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I → remember → heels
'For the next 12 months we covered very little else except heartbreak.
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we → cover → heartbreak
It was very grim but some of the people I interviewed have become lifelong friends.'
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Ms Witheridge later sold Big Apple News and helped Debbie Nelson, the mother of rapper Eminem, write her 2007 autobiography 'My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem'.
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Nelson → sell → autobiography
Her biggest moment came nearly a decade later when she was involved in the 2010 photo of then-Prince Andrew and Epstein - immortalised in the Netflix film Scoop.
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she → come → film
Annette Witheridge worked with photographer Jae Donnelly to capture the notorious photo of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Jeffrey Epstein at Central Park in New York in 2010
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Witheridge → work → 2010
Witheridge was portrayed in the production by Tony-nominated actress Kate Fleetwood, who has also had small parts in Star Wars and Harry Potter movies.
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who → portray → movies
In real life, Ms Witheridge and Mr Donnelly were sitting outside Epstein's mansion on December 5, 2010, after learning that Andrew was in New York on a private visit.
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Andrew → sit → visit
She saw his security, later telling The Mail on Sunday: 'There were men with walkie-talkies with British accents so it didn't take a genius to figure out Andrew was there.'
The prince and Epstein left the mansion at 1.40pm.
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prince → see → 1.40pm
Donnelly followed on foot and took a picture from ground level before going up some rocks to get a clearer shot.
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Donnelly → follow → shot
In the months after Epstein's death in August 2019, some observers speculated that the photo may have been orchestrated by Epstein in a bid to boost his image.
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photo → speculate → image
But Ms Witheridge denied this, saying: 'It was categorically not staged.
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I know, I was there.'
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She added: 'The fact no one saw the picture being taken is testament to the photographer's skill.
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picture → add → skill
It's preposterous to say there was any kind of conspiracy.'
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The News of the World published the photo on February 20, 2011 in an article with the headline: 'Prince Andy and the Paedo.'
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Speaking to ITV's Lorraine in April 2024, Ms Witheridge said of Andrew: 'I didn't honestly think he was stupid enough to stay there because Jeffrey Epstein had been to prison.
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Epstein → speak → prison
Annette Witheridge talks about securing the photo in an apperance on ITV's Lorraine in 2024
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But as I arrived on the street I heard British accents… men talking into their cufflinks.
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men → arrive → cufflinks
I was like, that's the royal protection squad - so I knew somebody was there of great importance.
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somebody → know → importance
So Jae Donnelly, the photographer, and I then sat there, sat there and sat there.
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Donnelly → sit → ?
And on the next day, the Sunday, about 1pm, suddenly the door opened and Jeffrey Epstein and Prince Andrew walked out, which meant that Jae could actually rush off into the park and actually take the pictures - it wasn't easy.'
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it → open → pictures
She added: 'I think if we hadn't got that picture, Andrew would have continued to deny any friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.'
Paying tribute to Ms Witheridge online after her death, Mr Donnelly said: 'I'm truly saddened to hear of your passing today, my heart just sunk, it's devastating news.
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…and 22 more, not listed.
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