THE FAMILY of a woman who died after falling from the Whispering Gallery in St Paul’s Cathedral has paid tribute to her.
Lidia Dragescu, 23 from Romford, Essex, fell from the gallery last Wednesday morning October 11.
Ms Dragescu moved from Romania to London five years ago with her mother, twin brother Vlad and younger brother Gabriel, 16.
She had already got a 2:1 business degree at the London campus of Ulster University based in Holborn.
There she learnt the skills to help set up a recruiting company, KOD services, with her mother.
Before starting her family’s company, she worked as a restaurant manager to support her through her degree.
A figure skater and aspiring brain surgeon, her family said she was ‘beautiful, intelligent and kind.’
"Our daughter and sister was the most beautiful person in the world. Her heart was pure and kind, a soul from another world.
“She was an outstanding student and a talented figure skater. Beautiful, intelligent and kind. She would always help me, not allowing me to do any difficult chores.
“Her love for us was beyond measure, she was selfless and kind. Everything that she had she shared with us, always putting us first. We love her and will always love her.
“For Lidia, the world has been a bad place to live in."
Her devastated mother Isabela Dragescu, 44, revealed how her daughter had said goodbye to her “as normal” thinking she was travelling to class.
The 23 year old aspiring figure skater fell almost 100ft from the Whispering Gallery in St Paul's Cathedral. (Picture: LEON NEAL/AFP/Getty Images)The devoted Christian instead took a bus from her home in east London to the cathedral, one of her favourite places, where she was a regular visitor.
Ms Dragescu said: “She was the most beautiful human being; she was the best daughter and my best friend.
“Everyone loved her and whenever she entered a room all eyes were on her.
“She was talented, creative, eager to learn, read for hours a day and loved classical music.
“She was perfect, pure and an angel who loved St Paul’s.
“I just want her back; she was too young to die, she had her whole life ahead of her.
“I don’t have any more tears left. I’ve lost my best friend, the most beautiful human being ever.”
While she loved learning, her mother said she had struggled to make friends and feel happy in life, but her sadness was hidden to the outside world.
She said: “She was normal, she loved God but she was very sad.
“She opened up to me about her sadness and sorrows about not fitting into this world.
She said: “Her escape was reading for hours a day.
“She didn’t have friends and was always with me so I don’t know why she never told me the true extent of her problems and thoughts.
“She was kind, selfless and did everything for her family.”
Lidia’s death is being treated as non-suspicious, and officers from the City of London Police will compile a report for the coroner.
