The beloved mother of a popular British reality star has sadly passed away. She was 70 years old (per The Sun).
Gemma Collins, 45, made her name on the reality television series “The Only Way Is Essex,” which has aired on various ITV channels since 2010. It has also aired internationally on platforms like Tubi, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Apple TV, and others.
Collins has since gone on to become a cult reality figure, appearing on numerous addition shows like “I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!,” “Celebrity Big Brother,” “Celebs Go Dating,” “Dancing on Ice,” and “I’m a Celebrity… South Africa.”
She has been the subject of countless lighthearted internet memes and, in 2017, went viral in the United States. Per The Standard, Wendy Williams aired an infamous clip of Collins on “The Wendy Williams Show.” The clip showed the star falling over on live television at the BBC Radio Teen Awards. Williams added Collins to her “Fall of Shame” list and said of her stumble, “This might be the funniest one yet.”
The reality star took to social media to announce the passing of Joan, a former part-time hairdresser, to her fans and followers.
Gemma Collins Mourns Her ‘Beautiful Mum’
Gemma Collins posted on her Instagram account to share the sad news of her mother Joan’s death with her 2.3 million followers.
The post features a single photograph of her mother, smiling on a sun lounger, squinting as the sun shines in her face, presumably on a family vacation.
Collins’ long caption on her post begins, “My heart is shattered into a million pieces 🤍 Today our beautiful mum passed away peacefully surrounded by LOVE 🤍🐦⬛.”
Towards the end, Collins thanks her mother, saying, “Thank you for every hug, every sacrifice, every lesson, and every moment. Thank you for being my mum. It has been the greatest privilege to be your daughter.”
The post concludes, “Sleep peacefully, my beautiful Mum what gives me comfort was today we was all with you 🤍🐦⬛. You will be loved forever, missed every single day, and never, ever forgotten. Gemma 🐦⬛🤍.”
Collins’ fans and followers headed to the post’s comments section en masse to offer the star their condolences and support.
Gemma’s Followers Say Their Hearts Break for Her
GettyThe comments section of Gemma Collins’ post announcing her mother’s passing is filled with lovely messages from her fans, followers, and those who know her. The messages include several from some very familiar faces.
Superstar singer-songwriter Elton John wrote, “So sad to hear. Our thoughts are with you and your family 💙.”
Actress, presenter, and fellow reality star Lisa Riley commented, “My heart breaks for you. Our Mums went to heaven on exactly the same day💛💛💛 your forever angel 💛💛💛.”
Collins’ “The Only Way Is Essex” co-star Megan McKenna said, “Oh Gemma my heart breaks for you. I’m so sorry 💔 thinking of you so much.”
Another “The Only Way Is Essex” co-star, Amy Childs, commented, “Thinking of you Gemma, what a beautiful lady your mum was, ♥️♥️ xxxx RIP beautiful Joan xxx.”
Rapper Stormzy left three heart emojis, writing, “❤️❤️❤️.”
One of Collins’ followers wrote, “Oh darling, heartbroken for you 💔 know how much mum ment to you, sending you so much love & light 💕✨.”
Someone else said, “Oh gem my heart breaks for you sending you so much love thinking of you ❤️.”
“Oh my darling!! I’m so sorry to hear this!! Broken 💔💔💔,” commented another Instagram user.
Finally, somebody else noted, “I am so so sorry Gemma ❤️❤️❤️ my heart goes out to you and your family!!!”
Per The Sun, Joan Collins was married to Alan and they had one other child, Russell. She had been in hospital with pneumonia recently, but her official cause of death hasn’t yet been disclosed.
We’d like to send our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Joan Collins, including Gemma Collins, at this upsetting time. May Joan’s memory be a blessing and may she rest in eternal peace.
Gemma Collins’ filmography info was courtesy of IMDb.
