Sharon Anne Daly-O’Dwyer, 51, had stepped outside for a cigarette after opening presents when she fell from the balcony of her flat in Shepherd’s Bush, London.

Daughter Taylor and son Drew heard a loud bang two minutes after she went outside and initially thought their mother had fallen down the stairs.

They were devastated to see her body on the ground below the apartment, The Mirror reports.

Paramedics rushed to the scene and tried to resuscitate Sharon but she could not be saved.

Heartbroken Taylor, 22, has described how she didn’t leave her mum’s side until her body was taken away.

She said: ‘I ran down to try and help her but it was pretty obvious she had died, she wasn’t breathing and her eyes were open.

‘I held her hand when they stopped the CPR and closed her eyes when they said they couldn’t do anymore. I gave her a kiss and said I love you.

The grieving daughter has described Sharon as ‘the best mum’, as a heartbreaking photo taken an hour before she died shows the family’s last moments together on Christmas Day.

Sharon used to work as a barmaid but lost her job this year as coronavirus lockdowns hit the hospitality industry particularly hard.

Taylor’s best friend Georgie said Sharon was her ‘second mum’ and ‘the life and soul of pubs’ in Shepherd’s Bush.

Georgie has set up a GoFundMe page to raise funds for Sharon’s funeral as her family looks to give her ‘the send-off she deserves’.

A Met Police spokesperson said: ‘Police were called to an address in Shepherd’s Bush, W12 at 10.09am on Friday, 25 December.

‘Officers attended with London Ambulance Service and found a 51-year-old woman with injuries consistent with a fall from height. Despite the best efforts of the emergency services, she was pronounced dead at the scene. ‘Her death is not being treated as suspicious.’