THE mother of Archie Battersbee has said she has done everything she promised her son she would do as the family prepare for his life support to be withdrawn on Saturday morning.

A last-ditch plea to the European Court of Human Rights to intervene in the case was rejected late on Friday, following a High Court ruling that he must remain at Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, east London.

Archie’s parents had fought a long-running legal battle over the withdrawal of treatment and in recent days made bids to the High Court, Court of Appeal and European Court of Human Rights to have him transferred to a hospice to die.

The 12-year-old has been in a coma since he was found unconscious by his mother in April and is being kept alive by a combination of medical interventions, including ventilation and drug treatments.

READ MORE >> Archie’s ‘devastated’ family told life-support will be withdrawn at 10am today

In an interview with Sky News, recorded on Friday, Archie’s mother Hollie Dance, of Southend, Essex, said she is “pretty broken”, and that the day had been “absolutely awful”.

Breaking down, she said: “The last however many weeks since 7th April, I don’t think there’s been a day that hasn’t been awful really.”

“It’s been really hard.

“Despite the hard strong face and appearance obviously in front of the cameras up until now, I’ve been pretty broken.”

She said the hospital had made it clear there were no more options, and that life support would be withdrawn at 10am on Saturday (today).

Asked if there was anything more she can do, Ms Dance added: “No. I’ve done everything that I promised my little boy I’d do.

“And I’ve done it.”

A spokesman with campaign group Christian Concern, which is supporting Archie’s family, told the PA news agency: “All legal routes have been exhausted.

“The family are devastated and are spending precious time with Archie.”

Doctors treating the schoolboy for the last four months declared Archie to be “brain-stem dead”, prompting a lengthy but ultimately failed legal battle by his family to continue his life support treatment in the hope he would recover.

Archie’s family have been told that treatment will be withdrawn at 10am today.

He has been in a coma since he was found unconscious at his home in Southend on April 7.