Who is Victoria Milligan? Mum who lost her husband, daughter and a leg in speedboat accident but has found the courage to date again
Victoria Milligan's husband Nicholas and daughter Emily died in the May Day tragedy in Cornwall in 2013
Victoria Milligan, who lost her husband, her eight-year-old daughter and part of her leg in a horrific speedboat accident four years ago, has revealed she is ready to date again – after being introduced to Tinder.
But what do we know about Victoria and what happened during that tragic holiday?
Who is Victoria Milligan?
Victoria Milligan is the widow of a TV executive who was killed in a speedboat incident in 2013 in Padstow, Cornwall, along with their daughter Emily.
The Wandsworth mum has spoken out about her horrific experience over the years over the years.
The mum, of Wandsworth, South-West London, told how Sky executive Nick fought for their survival even as the boat bore down on them, ordering them to stay together.
Nick died from head injuries. Emily suffered fatal multiple injuries.
What happened to Victoria Milligan’s family?
When the family were on holiday in May 2013 when they were thrown overboard in the Camel Estuary and suffered catastrophic injuries as the boat went out of control.
Nicholas, 51, was killed along with eight-year-old Emily, while nine-year-old son Kit needed 20 operations to save his life, eldest daughter Amber was left with scars on her leg and hand and Victoria had to have the lower part of her leg amputated.
Only Olivia, 14, survived unscathed.
What has Victoria Milligan said now?
Now the 43-year-old has returned to the dating game – but admits her leg causes her confidence issues, saying: “It does make me self-conscious about myself physically.
Although she says she has had relationships since the tragic accident, she says she misses Nicholas – known as Nico – every day.
She told the : “I’d do anything to have him in my life but he’s not going to come back so I’ve got to make the most of the situation I’m in.
“Weirdly, we used to talk about what I’d do if something happened to him. He said: ‘Promise me you won’t be on your own.’ So, I can almost feel him saying: “Get out there. Go and meet somebody.”
“I feel like he’s supporting me and I’ve never felt I’ve been unfaithful to him. I do find myself talking to him because I know him so well I know what he would say.”
She added: “That boat could have hit anybody that day. It was completely random. It took Nico’s life and Emily’s life so they don’t have any more time. We do.
“I definitely feel we owe it to them to live life to the full and almost live their lives for them. They’re not here, so how dare we sit around not making the most of the time we’ve got.”
The Wandsworth mum, who says she is always attracted to men that resemble her late husband – tall, with silver-grey hair – started dating again after a friend who had met her husband on Tinder suggested she try it.
Is Victoria Milligan dating now?
After a couple of disastrous dates with men who had “exaggerated their achievements” including an “outdoor design expert” who turned out to be a patio heater salesman – she deleted the app.
But she did have two brief romances with men she met on other dating websites.
She said: “Dating nowadays is nerve-racking. In the past you met someone through your friends or through work. Now so much of dating is on the internet, so you’re meeting complete strangers. ‘And what do you say on your profile? “Hello, single, widow, trauma victim, amputee.” That’s not exactly going to get the masses swiping right, is it?
“I still get a shock when I see it. I still can’t quite believe it’s me. Sometimes when I’m getting out of the bath and putting my prosthetic leg back on I think: “Oh God, that’s so unattractive.”
A year after the accident, Victoria had a brief fling with her children’s music teacher but admits she wasn’t ready for a new relationship because she hadn’t grieved properly for Nico.
She recently joined an upmarket dating agency, where she met a man she really liked and though she’d hit the jackpot.”
But after the fourth date, she decided to tell him the full story of the accident, her tragic loss and the truth about her leg.
She said: “If there’s ever going to be a passion killer that’s it."
The next day, he confessed that he didn’t think the relationship would work although they have since become friends.
But Victoria says she is still excited by the prospect of meeting someone else.
She said: “What’s so exciting at the moment is when you meet someone and you have that butterfly feeling. You’re super excited about getting ready and planning what you’re going to wear. It is a gorgeous feeling, that real adrenalin/serotonin rush.
“I feel ready now for whatever a new relationship is, whether it’s 24/7 or meeting a guy for dinner.”
While she says she is always going to miss her “perfect life,” Victoria says she has had to be strong for her children.
She said: “I was married to the most incredibly gorgeous man with four amazing children.
“Nico had a very high-powered job while I ran the house and looked after the children.
“I’m always going to be upset that that’s been taken away from me, but I also have to lead by example with the children. I don’t want them to have a bitter, twisted mother who’s always harping back to what she used to have.”
