Sheffield Keeley: Tragic TikTok personality was 'exploited for likes' support organisation claims

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A woman who died after falling unconscious in Sheffield city centre was paid to perform drunk on social media for likes, a street homelessness organisation has said.

The Archer Project said there was “huge sadness” at the death of a woman it didn’t name but is clearly ‘Sheffield Keeley,’ as she was known on TikTok.

But there was also anger at those who had paid her to swim in fountains in the middle of winter and dance in an inebriated state “like a performing clown.”

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The scene on Arundel Gate where a woman named as Keeley Thornton was found unconscious.The scene on Arundel Gate where a woman named as Keeley Thornton was found unconscious.
The scene on Arundel Gate where a woman named as Keeley Thornton was found unconscious. | NW

Emergency services were called to Arundel Gate shortly 6.30pm on Tuesday, January 15 after a woman, named locally as Keeley Thornton, was found unconscious.

A member of the public reportedly carried out CPR until ambulance crews arrived. She was sadly pronounced dead on arrival at hospital. She was 34.

The Archer Project, based at Sheffield Cathedral, supports homeless people.

In a blog post, chief executive Tim Renshaw railed at those who helped build her 'street celebrity’ status.

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It said: “Just for likes, that’s what it comes down to. They exploited her just for likes.

“It wasn’t a casual filming of someone you come across, which many think is bad enough.

“No, she was sought out, she told us she was given money to be on social media, to swim in fountains in the middle of winter or dance in an inebriated state like a performing clown or whatever…

“She was effectively being fed booze to perform because that was her addiction. Dance and we’ll give you more of what you crave, what you can’t do without, what your body craves and needs. Dance and we’ll reward you with the funds to buy more.”

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It added: “The truth is she was a person, a daughter, a niece. She was a human being not an entertainment.”

Police said her death was being treated as unexplained. A 47-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of administering a noxious substance.

The emergency services were called out to Arundel Gate shortly after 6pm last night (Tuesday, January 15, 2025) after a woman, named locally as Keeley Thornton, was found unconsciousThe emergency services were called out to Arundel Gate shortly after 6pm last night (Tuesday, January 15, 2025) after a woman, named locally as Keeley Thornton, was found unconscious
The emergency services were called out to Arundel Gate shortly after 6pm last night (Tuesday, January 15, 2025) after a woman, named locally as Keeley Thornton, was found unconscious | David Walsh

Online tributes appeared, with some referencing a video of Keeley singing the Nelly Furtado song, I’m Like A Bird, and posting videos of the song in her honour.

The Archer Project said there had been a “concerted effort” to “stop exploitation of this person.”

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It added: “Law enforcement, city centre management, public sector and voluntary sector agencies are the ones who supported her. So, why didn’t we do a better job? That’s a question we have been asking for a while and for a good reason.

“Her life was complex and the thorny issue of ‘capacity’ loomed large. When she was drunk, she didn’t have capacity. In other words, she didn’t have the ability to care for herself in any way. She was physically at risk, emotionally at sea and unable to assess safety from danger. But at other times she had capacity, that is she could demonstrate a cognitive understanding of her situation and the options before her.

“There is a lot of unhappy, hurt, upset and angry people who worked closely with her in homeless and other agencies today. We will take time to think through what it is we might have done differently to prevent this tragedy.

“What we do know is that voyeuristic social media gurus worked against those of us who were supporting her. They made her life worse. Today we will mourn, we will think of her and her family and the hurt they will be feeling.”

Police have appealed for information online or on 101 quoting incident number 782 of 14 January 2025.

A GoFundMe appeal has been launched to help Keeley’s family.

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