Gemma Atkinson has shared a poignant tribute to her late dad as she shared why she says he 'lives on the moon'. The Hits Radio host took to Instagram on Sunday (December 11) ahead of cheering on her man Gorka Marquez on Strictly Come Dancing as it would have been her dad, David's, birthday.
The 38-year-old has previously shared how David tragically died in 2002. She told how her dad's colleague found him hunched over his desk, struggling to breathe or move, as he was having a heart attack. On Steph's Packed Lunch in June last year, Gemma shared that within a few days they were told her dad was OK and put it down to stress and told him to slow down.
But sadly, as the family prepared for him to come, the hospital called and said David had a massive heart attack in his sleep and passed away. On April 27 this year, Gemma marked 20 years since his tragic death, sharing an old clip with her millions of followers.
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"20 years ago today you passed away Dad. That’s 7,300 days of missing you being here physically but knowing you’re always with me in some way," she wrote at the time. She added: "I miss you every single day and I love you dearly. To anyone who’s experienced the loss of a parent, I understand your pain. Know that it does get easier, and in time you’ll be able to talk about them and smile, even laugh perhaps. It won’t always be tears, I know that much."
On Sunday, Gemma shared an old photo of her dad, showing David with a party hat on his nose and a can of beer in his hand as he sat in front of a wall that had been decorated with Christmas cards. "Would have been celebrating your 72nd birthday today Dad," Gemma typed.
"I'm sure you're celebrating up there in some way... I miss you Dad. Every. Single. Day," she then movingly added before sharing an even more touching clip which she has previously shared on Instagram of her daughter, Mia. Last December Gemma shared a video of her then-two-year-old daughter at the window talking about the moon.
"Who can't get out the moon?" Gemma asked the toddler. Looking out the window, Mia replied: "Gangan David. Can't get out." Gemma then asked: "Is he stuck?" to which Mia says: "Yeah," which she repeated when Gemma said: "Is he looking after you?" The youngster then starts to giggle into the camera.
Sharing the video again, Gemma explained: "Wehn I say up thee, I mean the moon as that's where you live according to Mia." Back in October, Gemma made her fans cry when she shared how a friend's health scare had prompted memories of her losing her dad. Gemma took to Instagram to share a string of images from throughout her friendship with Cinta London.
And while the post, ahead of Gemma being maid of honour at her wedding, was a gushing tribute to her mate, Gemma couldn't avoid touching on a recent traumatic experience for Cinta, who works as a hair and makeup artist, which left Gemma fearing the worst and thinking back to when she lost her father aged 17.
"A month ago with the two of us alone in her flat I ended up phoning for an ambulance in the night because Cinta was having a suspected heart attack," she wrote at the time. "It was awful. And whilst trying to stay cool and calm in front of her while we waited for paramedics, all I could think of was my Dad and how he died from a heart attack."
But there was a positive outcome as Gemma continued her post: "After a few nights in hospital for her it turned out to be something completely different, and after a soon-to-happen operation she’s gonna be absolutely fine! We actually now already look back at that night & laugh as we were asked if we’d had any drink or drugs and we’d only had herbal tea and homemade cauliflower soup RockNroll!"
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