British actress and former Loose Women panelist Lisa Maxwell’s only daughter, Beau Jessup, has died at the age of 27 while studying journalism at Columbia University in New York City. Columbia Journalism School confirmed her passing in a statement published on November 9, 2026, expressing condolences to her family, friends and classmates.
Jessup was pursuing a Master of Science degree in journalism and was expected to graduate in May 2027. Her passing came just months after Maxwell publicly celebrated her daughter’s acceptance into the university’s journalism program. The circumstances surrounding her death have not been disclosed.
Columbia University Confirms Beau Jessup’s Passing
Columbia Journalism School announced Jessup’s passing through an official statement on its website.
“Columbia Journalism School mourns the loss of Beau Jessup, a student in our M.S. program. We extend our deepest condolences to her family, friends, classmates, and all who knew and loved her. The J-School is working with Beau’s family to offer support and assistance during this difficult time.”
The school’s dean, Jelani Cobb, also contacted students to acknowledge the loss and offer support to the university community.
Columbia subsequently published an interview with Jessup that had been conducted in October. The university explained that the conversation was released with her family’s permission.
No official cause of death has been announced, and Maxwell and her husband have not publicly provided further details.
Who Was Lisa Maxwell’s Daughter Beau Jessup?
Beau Jessup was born in October 1999 and was the only child of Lisa Maxwell and her husband, Paul Jessup.
She grew up in England and developed interests in writing, journalism and entrepreneurship. Before moving to the United States, she studied social anthropology at the London School of Economics.
Jessup later completed a master’s degree in Writing for Performance at the University of Cambridge. During her studies, she wrote a play titled The Sandbag, exploring family relationships, memory and inherited experiences.
She subsequently enrolled at Columbia Journalism School, where she hoped to develop a career reporting on culture, identity and social issues.
Beau Jessup Founded a Successful Business as a Teenager
Jessup attracted international attention as a teenager after creating SpecialName, a website designed to help Chinese parents choose English names for their children.
The idea developed during a visit to China, where she discovered that some parents wanted help selecting English names with appropriate meanings.
She launched the website at 16, and the business quickly gained attention. Early reports indicated that the platform had helped name more than 250,000 babies.
Jessup later said the service had helped approximately one million children receive English names. Her entrepreneurial work also led to a TEDx presentation.
Another project, Beau’s Community Bakes, used recipes and conversations with older residents to address loneliness and social isolation.
Lisa Maxwell Previously Celebrated Her Daughter’s Achievements
Maxwell, known for portraying Detective Inspector Samantha Nixon in The Bill, regularly expressed pride in her daughter’s academic achievements.
In September 2026, she celebrated Beau’s place in Columbia University’s incoming journalism class.
“Congratulations guys! Especially my daughter @BeauJessup over in NYC making us all super proud,” Maxwell wrote.
The actress had also discussed motherhood in earlier interviews. Speaking in 2008, she described how her relationship with Beau had developed as her daughter grew older.
“As she’s growing up, she’s become more of a little mate to me,” Maxwell said.
The two occasionally attended public events together, including the London premiere of Gnomeo & Juliet in January 2011.
Beau Jessup Discussed Her Journalism Ambitions Before Her Passing
In an interview conducted shortly before her death, Jessup explained how growing up with a television actress influenced her interest in journalism.
“As the daughter of a television actress, I grew up with an unusual awareness of the distance between people’s lives and the stories told about them,” she said.
She also discussed her plans to work as a journalist covering people, culture and social questions.
Jessup said she wanted to combine journalism with theatrical writing, particularly when stories could benefit from being explored through different formats.
Her interview was published after her passing as a tribute to her academic work and professional ambitions.
Lisa Maxwell and Husband Paul Jessup Mourn Their Only Child
Lisa Maxwell, 62, and her husband, Paul Jessup, shared Beau as their only child. Paul has worked in the toy industry, while Maxwell established a television career spanning several decades.
Maxwell appeared in The Bill from 2002 to 2009 and later became a regular panelist on ITV’s Loose Women. Her other credits include EastEnders, The Benny Hill Show and The Madame Blanc Mysteries.
The couple have generally maintained privacy around their family life despite Maxwell’s television career.
As of November 13, 2026, neither parent has released a detailed public statement about Beau’s passing. Columbia Journalism School continues to offer support to her family and classmates, and no funeral arrangements or cause of death have been publicly announced.