Brianna Ghey’s mother Esther spoke to Good Morning Britain’s Richard Madeley and Kate Garraway about her teenage daughter, who was murdered by two 15-year-olds in 2023

Brianna Ghey’s mother Esther has opened up about Netflix’s Adolescence, telling Good Morning Britain viewers that it is “really happening” after the horrific murder of her daughter. Brianna was just 16 when she was stabbed to death by Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe.

Esther appeared on Good Morning Britain to speak about her ITV documentary Brianna Ghey: A Mother’s Story, with presenters Richard Madeley and Kate Garraway bringing up the relevance of TV series Adolescence. The Netflix drama follows the family of a 13-year-old boy who is arrested for the murder of a classmate.

Brianna Ghey was killed aged just 16 by two teenagers in 2023 ( 
Image:
PA)

Speaking about how she has been raising awareness around issues of violence and misogyny in schools, Esther said: “I called for a government inquiry into the causes of the rise of peer-on-peer violence in schools and I would like the government to look into the impact social media is having on young people.

“You mentioned Adolescence, there’s so much misogynistic and violent content that’s being served to our young people. Everyday I hear stories that shock me.”

She added: “Adolescence – it is so current and it’s real. This is really happening. It’s what’s happening.”

Tonight’s ITV documentary explores Brianna’s life and her tragic death, speaking to her mother Esther, her stepdad Wes and her friends as they remember the “fun-loving” teenager.

Speaking ahead of the film airing, Esther opened up about the struggle she had with Brianna over her online activity. “Mine and Brianna’s relationship was really quite strained towards the end because I was trying to look after her, I was trying to make sure that she was okay,” she said.

“The more I tried to protect her, the more she pushed me away so I hope that bringing mindfulness into families might improve relationships and no parent will be in the same situation as I was with Brianna.”

In tonight’s documentary, Esther shares the final text that she sent to Brianna, telling her how proud she was that she had taken the bus for the first time to meet a friend.

“She sent me a picture of her feet on the bus and said that she felt really anxious,” Esther says in the documentary. “I messaged back something like, ‘That’s well good,’ because she’d never been on a bus by herself,” Esther says in the episode.

“I remember thinking, ‘That’s such a good step in the right direction. Maybe she’s going to be fine.’” Breaking down, Esther adds, “I was hoping that Brianna would go out and have a nice time re-entering society. I responded to say how good it was. I don’t know whether she ever saw how proud I was of her.”