Grandmother who went viral after CCTV captured her being hoisted 10 feet in the air by store shutters dies aged 73
A shop cleaner who became a global TikTok phenomenon after CCTV footage of the moment she was lifted three meters in the air and became stuck has died, two years after she rose to viral fame.
Granny Anne Hughes, 73, was hoisted into the air holding her empty car and left screaming for help as she waited to dust and mop a corner store about to open in a village in the Welsh valleys.
The video clip of him hanging and yelling for help went viral and has been viewed more than 100 million times on TikTok and other platforms.
Despite being shocked at the moment of the incident, Anne was not seriously injured and continued to enjoy her brief moment of global fame, which led to people stopping her on the street and posing for selfies for weeks.
But he fell ill last year and died of cancer in hospital shortly before Christmas, surrounded by loved ones, the Daily Mail understands.
A family friend said: ‘Mother was very sweet and luckily had a good sense of humor for herself and everyone else.
‘He thoroughly enjoyed his moment of fame and definitely saw the funny side.
‘It’s sad to see him go, but he left us with a memory that will always bring a smile to people’s faces.’
Anne Hughes, 71, (pictured in 2024) was standing outside the newsagents in her village when the shutters began to open.
Picture: Viral video shows woman holding shopping cart while turning it upside down
The mother got her winter coat tangled in the shutter as she stood outside the Best One store in the village of Tonteg, near Pontypridd in South Wales, in March 2024.
When the shop owner, Amir Akram, opened the electronic shutters, he was unaware that Anne, who worked as a part-time cleaner in the shop, had been lifted from the floor.
At the end of the 31-second video, Akram is seen rushing to Mother’s aid after hearing her screams for help.
Security video was shared and Anne became an overnight celebrity, with requests to appear on national television to talk about her newfound fame.
He said at the time: ‘I was ashamed, who wouldn’t be ashamed? But looking back, I can see the funny side.
‘And I’ve quite enjoyed this fame, people have been asking me to take selfies next to the shutters.’
The BBC confirmed that the video of Anne trapped in electronic shutters and dangling 3 meters high was by far the most watched video on the BBC, with more than 50 million views across the BBC’s channels and website alone.
When told she would be a multi-millionaire if she were paid just a penny for every person who watched the video of her misadventure, the mother-of-three said: ‘That’s a lot of money but it makes me happy to know that I can put a smile on so many people’s faces.’
The mum has turned down requests from TV shows, including one rumored to be from Kate Garraway herself.
His grandchildren were proud of his moment of fame and couldn’t wait to tell him he had topped the BBC chart. He said: ‘They told me I was among the best, but I told them I was the best in stores.’
