Black Mirror star sues gym chain for £100,000 after mum overheated in sauna and died

A TV actress is suing a gym chain for up to £100,000 in damages after her mum overheated in a sauna and died. 

Milanka Brooks, 41, who appeared in comedy Benidorm as well as Black Mirror, is seeking damages under the Fatal Accidents Act 1976. 

Supplied by Champion News

Milanka Brooks with her mother Mileva, who died after collapsing in the Everlast Gym in Cheltenham, Gloucs, in August 2022[/caption]

instagram/milankabrooks

She collapsed in the Everlast gym in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, last August[/caption]

Netflix

Milanka appeared in an episode of sci-fi hit Black Mirror[/caption]

Her mum Mileva, 75, died three days after collapsing at the Everlast Gym in Cheltenham, Gloucs, in August 2022. 

She died from the effects of heatstroke after being “found unresponsive in the sauna”, her inquest was told. 

Mileva, from Cheltenham, had joined the gym six months earlier. 

Brooks is suing the gym, owned by fitness giants Sports Direct, for “personal injury and consequential losses”, High Court papers reveal. 

In online posts, the star — also in sitcom My Family — has told of her closeness to her mum, calling her “the light and inspiration of my life” and “partner in crime”. 

Milanka starred as Johnny Vegas’ fiancée, Ionela, in ITV’s Benidorm.

She also took on the role of Princess Svetlana in Channel 4’s royal spoof The Windsors, and appeared as Nigel Planer’s wife, Elena, in the 2014 BBC2 comedy Boomers.

In 2017, she gained wider recognition playing blue-skinned alien crew member Elena Tulaska in USS Callister, the multi-Emmy Award-winning episode of Black Mirror.

instagram/milankabrooks

The local council found no grounds to take any action against the facility after a health and safety review[/caption]

Handout

Along with roles in Black Mirror and My Family, Milanka also starred in ITV hit Benidorm[/caption]