Mollie King has opened up about having 'mixed emotions' around Christmas Day after her dad died in November.
The former The Saturdays star shared that she was 'heartbroken beyond words' when her dad Stephen sadly died after being diagnosed with a brain tumour in August. In an Instagram post, she said she was 'so grateful' to be surrounded by family during the festive season and was glad her daughter's first Christmas was still 'magical, just as it should be.'
Mollie shared a collection of photos and a video of her Christmas with her one million Instagram followers. Captioning the post, she shared that her daughter Annabella, who she welcomed with fiancé Stuart Broad, also reached a special milestone over the festive period.
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She also sent love to anyone else grieving and missing a loved one over Christmas. Mollie wrote: "This year, more than ever, I’ve been so grateful to be surrounded by my family at Christmas time.
"For me it’s been mixed emotions heading up to Christmas Day as I’ve feared all of us sitting down for lunch and having one chair less without our Pops at the table. I know I’m not the only one who will be missing a loved one this Christmas and my heart goes out to anyone who’s also going through this."
She continued: "I’ve kept reminding myself how lucky I am to be surrounded by so many of the people I love and without a doubt the constant chatter from the little ones, seeing Annabella laugh for the first time, countryside walks and Home Alone on repeat made sure we all created more special memories, and most importantly, that my little girl’s Christmas was magical, just as it should be.
"Thank you Mum for getting us all together. Sending so much love to anyone else going through this at this time xx".
Earlier in December, Mollie announced the sad news that her dad had died - just days after she'd shared the news that she had given birth to her first child. Mollie shared a number of sweet pictures with her dad on Instagram and revealed that he had died the previous week.
She wrote: "Heartbroken beyond words. In August, my family’s world was shattered when my Dad was diagnosed with a brain tumour. Last week, we had to face the day we hoped would never come and say goodbye.
"Dad, we love you with all our hearts and we will miss you every single day. You have been our hero and it’s impossible to think of our lives without you.
"You have always been there for us with every step we’ve taken and you even held on a few extra days to meet baby Annabella. You gave us your everything. You will be in our hearts and our memories every single day."
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