Facebook/Martin Naylor Martin Naylor pictured with his daughter in March 2019.
Mya-Lecia Naylor’s parents were Martin Naylor and Zena Marie Beggs. The CBBC star died tragically on April 7 at the age of 16. Mya-Lecia Naylor’s cause of death has not been made public. The BBC said in a statement that Naylor passed away after she collapsed. The press release did not elaborate on what caused the teenage star to collapse.
Mya-Lecia Naylor is survived by her parents and two brothers. On November 6, 2018, when Mya-Lecia turned 16, her father paid a beautiful tribute to his daughter in which he wrote, “Happy birthday to my little (dammit not so little) princess ??! Love you more than words can say! You have always brought me so much joy and love and you have truly become an amazing intelligent and beautiful young lady your ability to make me smile even in dire times is unrivaled! You are a great inspiration and role model to your brothers who love you dearly. Love you sooo much baby girl ?! Now hurry up and move out I could do with the spare room! ?#sweet16 #happybirthday #lovemydaughter.”
Here’s what you need to know about Mya-Lecia’s Naylor’s Parents:
1. Mya-Lecia’s Parents Were Married in October 2014
According to posts on both Martin Naylor and Zena Marie Beggs’ Facebook pages, the couple was married in October 2014, when Mya-Lecia would have been 12 years old. Prior to their marriage, the couple had been together for more than 14 years.
Beggs formerly maintained a blog, The Fabulous Mom’s Guide. On that blog, Beggs says that her nickname for Mya-Lecia was “Cupcakes.” In the bio section of that blog, Beggs says that she has a BA degree in Philosophy and liked to blog “because it inspires me to be my best self.” According to her Facebook, Beggs says that she is from and lives in London. Although on her blog bio, Beggs says that she grew up in the Midlands.
Beggs added that Mya-Lecia had inherited her mother’s love of baking, which led to Mya-Lecia setting up her own now-defunct blog, MyasDiary.com. The blog saw the young actress share her own baking recipes and tips. In an interview with Tresa Magazine that was published two days before her death, Mya-Lecia said that after she was done with her school exams, she really wanted “to get back into the habit of posting on YouTube weekly and really engaging in that.”
2. Mya-Lecia’s Mother Once Wrote, ‘The Road to Parenthood Is Not Easy for All of Us’
Facebook/Martin NaylorMya-Lecia pictured at her 16th birthday party in November 2018.
In a beautifully well-written 2013 blog posting, Mya-Lecia wrote about an ectopic pregnancy she suffered through in 2012. While in recovery, Beggs wrote that she discovered she was pregnant with her third child. Beggs said that her excitement was tempered as she had previously given birth to a stillborn child in addition to her ectopic pregnancy as well as three miscarriages.
Beggs gave birth to her third child in May 2013. Beggs wrote of his birth, “I love him, I love him, I love him. He is so sweet and happy and is everything I thought I’d lost.” She went on to write that, “The road to parenthood is not easy for all of us.” In total, Beggs says that she had been pregnant a total of eight times. She adds, “I have 3 beautiful children who I think are amazing and despite the heartache, I would go through it all again to have them in my life. ”
3. Martin Naylor Once Told Halle Berry That She Was ‘Looking Well,’ While the Oscar-Winner Was Made Up to Look as Though She Was 80 Years Old
Among the many tributes that Martin Naylor paid to his daughter on Facebook included a story from the set of “Cloud Atlas.” Mya-Lecia appeared in the 2012 movie alongside Hollywood A-listers in the role of Miro, Tom Hanks and Halle Berry. Naylor wrote of an encounter he had with Oscar-winning Berry saying that his daughter gave him “a dig in the ribs for telling Halle Berry she was looking well when she was made up to look 80yrs old ?, dad jokes r the best.” Mya-Lecia spoke about the role in her interview with Teresa Magazine saying, ” Tom Hanks was so nice, he took us on a tour of the set on the first day I was filming… We were only filming for a week but one of the memories I have is going into town and it was around Christmastime and they had a big fairground set up and I remember going into town with my family.”
Mya-Lecia made her acting debut in a 2004 episode of the BBC sitcom, “Absolutely Fabulous,” when she was two years old. She told Tresa Magazine about the role saying, “The first thing I did on TV was Absolutely Fabulous but I was only two at the time so I don’t really remember much about it. I was only filming for about a day and it was a Christmas special so from what my mum tells me, we all got around on Christmas Day and watched it.”
4. Shortly After His Daughter Collapsed, Martin Naylor Told a Neighbor: ‘We’ve Lost Our Baby’
Facebook/Martin NaylorMartin Naylor pictured with his daughter in January 2019.
A neighbor of Mya-Lecia’s, Nana Boateng, told the Daily Mail that after the actress collapsed, Martin Naylor was close to breaking down when he told her, “We’ve lost our baby.” Boateng added, “I feel so sorry for them. She was such a young, happy and beautiful girl with everything to live for.”
On April 10, Mya-Lecia’s grandmother, Geraldine Beggs posted a photo showing her with the late actress. One comment under the post read, “Your Granddaughter looks so much like you G beautiful xx.”
5. Tributes Continue to Pour In For Mya-Lecia Naylor
Nearly 24 hours after the tragic news emerged that Mya-Lecia had passed away, tributes continue to pour in from her co-stars, friends and family. Those tributes, many posted to social media, describe a beautiful and talented human being whose acting career was just beginning. The Director of CBBC, Alice Webb, said of Mya-Lecia, “She has shone so brightly on our screens, both in Millie Inbetween and Almost Never, and it’s unthinkable that she won’t be part of our journey going forward,” she said, describing the hugely popular actress as “a real role model for her young fans.”
Here are some of the most poignant messages being posted online:
Very sad to hear the tragic news of Mya-Lecia Naylor’s passing. She was a part of the @aj_management family who represent me in the UK. Although I didnot know her personally, I wanted to send my condolences to her family, friends and colleagues at this difficult time ❤️
Rest in peace Mya-Lecia Naylor. The Millie Inbetween cast is like a family to me and the show has such a special place in my heart. Mya was a great friend and I’m so lucky to have known her. We are heartbroken. Thank you for all the messages & I’m sending love to Mya’s family❤️
It is with the deepest sorrow we have to announce that on Sunday 7th April Mya-Lecia Naylor, very sadly, died. Mya-Lecia was hugely talented and a big part of A&J, we will miss her greatly. Our love and thoughts are with all her family and friends at this difficult time.
Had the pleasure of working with Mya-Lecia Naylor a few weeks ago.. she was so lovely and am saddened and shocked to hear of her passing.. thoughts are with her family and friends, she will be missed by so many… RIP Mya ❤️ x
Very sad to hear the tragic news of Mya-Lecia Naylor’s passing. She was a part of the @aj_management family who represent me in the UK. Although I didnot know her personally, I wanted to send my condolences to her family, friends and colleagues at this difficult time ❤️
READ NEXT: Michigan School Teachers Admit to Making Adult Movies on the Side