BRITISH WOMAN MISCARRIES ALL OF OCTUPLETS.

Byline: Associated Press

Mandy Allwood took fertility drugs, hired a publicist and counted the days until her octuplets were born - even though doctors told her most would likely die.

They were right.

She started miscarrying Monday, in the 19th week of her pregnancy, and by Wednesday night had lost all of them.

``It's just tragic,'' her publicist Max Clifford said. ``We were all aware of the risks, and that this was a strong possibility or even probability, but it doesn't diminish the tragedy when it actually happens.''

So ends a pregnancy that Britain followed with fascinated distaste.

For many, it began with Clifford striking a deal with a tabloid newspaper, the Rupert Murdoch-owned News of the World, which offered a six-figure sum on a sliding scale: the more births, the bigger the check.

At first, there was speculation the 32-year-old Allwood was getting $530,000 for the story, but later estimates reached as high as $1.55 million. The News of the World would not confirm any figure.