Liz Houghton, co-founder of fashion brand Mint Velvet, has opened up about the death of her 20-year-old son Will, who was struck by a car whilst cycling on the A32 in Hampshire in January 2016. Speaking on Davina McCall's podcast Begin Again a decade later, she described the moment she learned her son's head injuries were unsurvivable and the devastating emotional impact of that news. The incident resulted in the driver, Jeanette Smith, pleading guilty to causing death by careless driving, though she avoided a custodial sentence.

Will was hit by Smith's Citroen C3 on 28 January 2016 whilst cycling near Wickham; Smith claimed she had been blinded by the sun. The pensioner received a 12-month community order, a 12-month driving ban, and was ordered to pay £165 in costs and fines. Liz described the profound shock of learning her son's condition was terminal, revealing how the grief manifested physically as she was unable to stand at the hospital. Will, an avid cyclist who aspired to become a professional, had received a new racing bike just two weeks before his death, which was never ridden.