Viral Oompa Loompa Kirsty Paterson is facing a homeless Christmas after an electrical fire ravaged her home.
She told the Daily Record she was woken up by her fire alarm to find the downstairs of her home engulfed by flames. Kirsty, who had returned from New York the night before, admits she would have slept through the fire due to jet lag had the alarm not sounded. Now after a “crazy year” the actress has been forced to set up home in a hotel along with her parents.
The 30-year-old’s life was turned upside down last February when she became a global sensation after the disastrous Willy’s Chocolate Experience in Glasgow left families who shelled out £35 for a ticket outraged. But pictures of Kirsty dressed as an Oompa Loompa became an internet meme and she went on to star in a musical based on the event.
Kirsty said: “I just returned from New York and meetings with agents, and was so jet-lagged. The next thing I know, my fire alarm went off, and when I went down the stairs I saw the back corner of my house in smoke. Then when I went into the dining room, it was on fire.”
The star’s parents were at work so she frantically gathered what she could before running out of the house in Glasgow’s west end when the fire broke out last month. She said: “It was just me in the house and it was horrible, terrifying. It was spreading so fast and I just had to get out. It was very difficult watching the black smoke and the flames destroy everything. I called the fire service and ran out. It was heartbreaking to be honest, because it’s my family home.”
A computer plug was the source of the fire. Kirsty added: “It moved so fast and the smoke damage was awful. The fire service were amazing. They came out within eight minutes. They couldn’t have actually got there any faster. It was scary and I realised the importance of fire alarms, because I would be dead if that fire alarm didn’t go off. The smoke would have put me in a coma.”
Kirsty, who is also a yoga instructor, is now living in a hotel with her family. She said: “I think we’re going to be living out there for six months to a year. They’re saying everything inside is all non-fixable. It’s important for me to try to stay positive and continue going forward with everything.”
The actress, who was a hit at the Edinburgh Fringe and counts stars including Chrissy Teigen as her fans, now plans for a better 2025. She said: “I’m someone who just doesn’t accept defeat, so I will just keep pushing forward with the stuff I want to do.”
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