However, a hearing at Norfolk Coroner\u2019s Court on Feb. 16 concluded that she died of \u201cindustrial disease of mesothelioma\u201d caused by the dangerous fibers she was exposed to throughout her childhood, the court confirmed to PEOPLE.<\/p>\n
According to the Mayo Clinic<\/a>, mesothelioma “is a cancer that starts as a growth of cells in the mesothelium. The mesothelium is a thin layer of tissue that covers many internal organs.”<\/p>\n “It most often happens in the tissue around the lungs,” per the medical center. “Mesothelioma also can happen in the tissues in the belly, around the heart and around the testicles.”<\/p>\n Google Maps<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I attended junior school [elementary school] in those days, we came home at lunchtime,\u201d said Ellery in a statement given before her death, per the Eastern Daily Press. \u201cMy father also came home from work at lunchtime and we all had a meal together.\u201d<\/p>\n Ellery\u2019s father worked at a factory from 1949 until he was made redundant in 1974, according to the outlet. He would still be wearing his work clothes when he returned to their Bedfordshire home during the day.<\/p>\n \u201cI did not pay much attention to his overalls, but I remember that he just wore his own clothes to work, which were suitable for laboring duties,\u201d said Ellery, per the outlet. \u201cI was very close to my dad and as soon as he came home, I would go up to him and hug him.”<\/p>\n \u201cI was still very young and it was exciting when my father came home,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n The clothing may have had asbestos fibers on it, which Ellery was then exposed to when she hugged him and when she helped her mother wash his clothes, per the court hearing.<\/p>\n From the age of 8, she also began visiting the factory for its annual Christmas party.<\/p>\n \u201cI was always excited to go there because there was a substance which looked like snow on the ground,\u201d she said, per the Eastern Daily Press. \u201cIt was not snow but had a similar appearance and in hindsight, I believe it must have been asbestos on the ground from the factory\u2019s operations.\u201d<\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/p>\n Gabe Ginsberg\/Getty<\/p>\n Her father\u2019s death in 1983 was ruled an industrial disease resulting from asbestos exposure, following his cancer diagnosis a year before. He was 59, the Daily Mail<\/a> reported.<\/p>\n Blue and brown asbestos were banned in the U.K. in 1985, while white asbestos remained in use until 1999. The dangerous material may still be present in any house or building built before 2000, according to the U.K. government website, GOV.UK<\/a>.<\/p>\n Ellery was diagnosed with mesothelioma in October 2024 despite her work history showing no occupational exposure to asbestos. The mother of two retired as a personal assistant in April 2019.<\/p>\n \u201cShe died from exposure to asbestos as a child,\u201d said area coroner Johanna Thompson at the hearing, per the Eastern Daily Press.\u00a0<\/p>\n Speaking to Ellery\u2019s family, Thompson added, \u201cI would like to offer my most sincere condolences. I am so sorry for your loss.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Norfolk](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/9ef42f23cdb75f71b3457d3e9d4ce788.jpeg\"\/)
Norfolk Coroners Court <\/p>\n![\"Elaine](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1bf16dcd81f199c19664cc9b599af117.jpeg\"\/)
Elaine Ellery and husband Jonathan Ellery <\/p>\n