A grandmother who gained widespread attention after being lifted 10 feet into the air by a shop shutter has passed away two years after her unexpected rise to fame.
Anne Hughes, the 73-year-old woman, found herself suspended outside a village shop in Tonteg, near Pontypridd in South Wales, when the shop shutter unexpectedly lifted her up, causing her shopping trip to turn into a viral sensation with over 100 million views on social media.
The shopkeeper, Amir Akram, inadvertently raised the shutters without realizing Anne was outside, leading to her comical predicament. He rushed to her aid upon hearing her calls for help and quickly lowered the shutters to safely bring her back down.
Although initially embarrassed by the incident, Anne, who worked part-time as a cleaner at the shop, later found humor in the situation and even enjoyed her newfound fame, with people approaching her for selfies by the shop shutters.
Anne, who had been battling cancer, sadly passed away in the hospital last month with her family by her side. Described as lovely and possessing a great sense of humor, she left behind a positive memory that continues to bring smiles to many.
Despite her unexpected celebrity status, Anne declined multiple offers to appear on television shows like Good Morning Britain and The Big Fat Quiz of the Year. She officially retired in 2017 but continued to assist at the store, where she was immortalized in an artwork depicting her airborne moment on the shop shutters.
The artwork was commissioned by the store and painted by Tee2Sugars, who found the incident amusing and eagerly accepted the opportunity. The artist, renowned for the mural, expressed that working on the roller shutters presented challenges but was a memorable experience, even leading to mistaken identity as Banksy by passersby.
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