- In 1991, Ratcliff's then-boyfriend, Michael Shorey, stood trial at London's Old Bailey, accused of killing two women. Ratcliff gave him a false alibi, claiming under oath in the witness box that they had been making love at the time. He was convicted and is serving two life sentences for murder. His court case was her last public appearance. She was not charged with perjury, however.
In 2005, it was reported that she had kicked her drug habit and was living on a £70 a week disability allowance. The actress battled drugs and booze during her life and trained as a counsellor after beating her heroin addiction. - Ranked #74 in The 100 Greatest EastEnders (1985) Characters of All Time for her performance as Sue Osman (2015).
- Played bass guitar in the rock bands 'Tropical Appetite' and 'Escalator'.
- Her EastEnders (1985) character Sue Osman became the 3rd woman on the soap opera to give birth. Sue had a son Ali (played by Omer Mustafa Salih), born on 24 March 1988.
- Gave birth to her only child at age 25, a son William Ratcliff Palmer in November 1973. Child's father is her ex-boyfriend, Terence Palmer.
- Was suffering from lung cancer & COPD at the time of her death. She was also in constant pain after a stroke several years previously. Sandy was found dead at her London flat in a sheltered housing project by her helper. After a postmortem the Coroner ruled she died from an accidental overdose of prescription Morphine coupled with pneumonia.
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