'This noise came out of me and I just crumbled': Mint Velvet founder opens up on tragic death of her 20-year-old son after he was hit by car while cycling

The co-founder of fashion brand Mint Velvet revealed how she 'just crumbled' when she was told her son would not survive after being hit by a car.Mother-of-three Liz Houghton was rushed by police to be at the side of Will, 20, after he was knocked off his bicycle in Wickham, Hampshire, in January 2016.But she recalled how 'this noise came out of me' after doctors disclosed his head injuries were 'unsurvivable' and her eldest child would die.Now ten years on, Liz, 62, has bravely revisited her grief during an emotional conversation with Davina McCall for her podcast, Begin Again.Keen cyclist Will had been travelling along the A32 when pensioner Jeanette Smith, 69, ploughed into the back of him in her Citroen C3. She later pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving and was spared jail with a 12-month community order.Speaking on the podcast, the CEO of Mint Velvet said she had been at work when her husband, Richard, phoned to say Will had been in an accident. 'He often fell off his bike because he was obsessed with cycling, so we'd been used to this,' she said, explaining the severity of her son's condition was not obvious at first. 'We'd been used to the grazes and all those sorts of things. 'But then [Richard] said: 'So the police are coming to get you.' And I was like, oh, this is another level. So I knew it must be urgent, it's serious, but I wasn't thinking it was going to be terminal.' Mint Velvet founder Liz Houghton revealed how she 'just crumbled' when she was told her son would not survive after being hit by a car. Source: WillHoughtonFoundation/Facebook Liz, 62, bravely revisited her grief during an emotional conversation with Davina McCall for her podcast, Begin Again McCall listened intently as the Mint Velvet founder opened up about her son Will's tragic death. Source: Begin Again with Davina McCallShe was rushed by police officers to Southampton Hospital, but when she arrived the fashion entrepreneur found she 'literally' could not stand up. 'I didn't realize I was going through all these things and I just couldn't stand,' she said. 'So these lovely two police officers sort of held me up and I got ushered into this small room.'This young doctor came in, but he was a consultant and he said: "So what have you heard?" And I said, well I know Will has had a very serious cycling accident. 'And he said: "Well, I've got to tell you it's unsurvivable."In that moment, Liz said she 'just literally crumbled.'She went on: 'When you see things on the TV and you hear somebody lets out a noise like terrible grief, I thought that was just theatre, I never thought that existed.'But this noise just came out of me and I just literally crumbled, because 'unsurvivable' is not even he might have some sort of damage - he's not going to live.'She recalled how the doctor left the room, leaving her alone to gather her thoughts.'This perfect world that I had was, in a second, just taken', she said. In the aftermath of his death, Smith appeared at court and told magistrates she had been 'blinded by the sun' while driving along the A32 on January 28, 2016.She pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving and alongside her community order was disqualified from getting behind the wheel for 12 months. Smith, of Denmead, Hampshire, was also ordered to pay a total of £165 in costs and fines.Paying tribute to their son after the sentencing, Liz and Richard said: 'Our grief for our loving, passionate, driven and wonderful son Will is deep.'He was a handsome, motivated and fun 20-year-old and is missed dearly by his family and friends.'His new racing bike, delivered two weeks after he was killed, will never be ridden and we will never know if he would have achieved his driving ambition to be a professional cyclist.'While the 20 years he spent with us were far too short, we are grateful that he lived them to the full and left us all with happy memories and a belief that we should all strive to be the very best version of ourselves we can be.'Liz later revealed Will had carried an organ card - with more than a dozen individuals going on to receive his organs, including his eyes, heart, bones and skin. She learnt one of his kidneys was given to a father in his 50s, helping him to come off dialysis, while part of his liver saved the life of a desperately ill child.Speaking to the Daily Mail in 2019, she said: 'When I knew there was no hope, all I could think about was his organs. I kept saying to the nurses: "We must save everything. He would have wanted that."'He looked perfect; not a scratch or bruise on him. I wanted literally everything to be used. 'Not just his heart, lungs, liver and kidneys, but his colon, his skin, his bones, his beautiful brown eyes.'Will crammed so much into his short life. He was super-fit, loving, engaged; like our other children, the centre of our lives. Will, 20, was knocked off his bicycle in Wickham, Hampshire, on January 28, 2016. Source: WillHoughtonFoundation/Facebook Will had carried an organ card - with more than a dozen individuals going on to receive his organs, including his eyes, heart, bones and skin. Source: WillHoughtonFoundation/Facebook'More than anything, he was passionate about cycling, and rode his bike for the sheer joy of it.'He would want to think he'd made a difference, that his death had helped save lives. That is the ultimate gift.'It means so much to the whole family to know he is helping make other people's lives better. It gives us some kind of solace.' Even amidst her grief, she launched a new initiative - Don't Forget The Donor, in conjunction with NHS Blood and Transplant - which helps organ recipients to write anonymously, when and if they feel able, to the bereaved loved ones of donors. The family also set up the Will Houghton Foundation in his memory, which works with UK charities to help 14 to 24-year-olds to reach their potential through education and sport.Liz went on to be awarded an OBE for services to business and charity in 2017.