As the nation braces itself against the chilly weather, Joey Essex's nan Linda Sims has been left without heating or hot water.
The 82-year-old, who played a huge role in Joey's life after his mum tragically committed suicide when he was 10, has been stuck with a broken boiler at the worst time of year.
Linda's grandchild Frankie Sims, who is the sister of Towie's Demi and Chloe said the council had failed to step in when contacted about the problem. She wrote: “My Nan has no heating for over 4 WEEKS!!!!!!
“It’s vile . . . when temperatures are this low!”
Redbridge council blamed a “higher than usual volume of call-outs” and arranged for a new boiler to be fitted.
The glamorous gran often pops up on Towie and recently celebrated her granddaughter Chloe's 40th birthday, who was told in no uncertain terms by her daughter Maddison that she wasn't allowed to move a man into their house.
Chloe told her nan that she doesn't care a lot about men and is more focused on her family.
She said: "The thought of having someone in my space, in me and Madison's space, and having to share a home every day, I don't know if I'll ever want that. I feel I need to get a husband that wants to live next door."
Her sister Frankie and cousin Frankie Essex burst out laughing at the comment.
Chloe then asked her 16-year-old daughter: "Mads, would you let a guy move in?"
Madison replied with a firm "no", prompting more giggles.
Linda is incredibly supportive of her grandchildren and was over the moon when her grandson Joey went into I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!
Speaking to The Sun about Joey in 2013, she said : "I must be the proudest grandmother in Britain at the moment. He is doing so brilliantly."
Joey debuted his documentary this year called Joey Essex on Grief.
Viewers were struck by how openly the 31-year-old spoke about losing his mum at the age of 10 when she took her own life, and the anxiety he still deals with on a day-to-day basis.
He revealed that he can’t watch home videos from his childhood or talk about his loss because it’s just too painful, and he suffers with panic attacks too.
The show follows him as he confides in his dad, and makes an emotional visit back to the family home he grew up in, forcing him to confront the memories he’s been suppressing.
The Samaritans is available 24/7 if you need to talk. You can contact them for free by calling 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org or head to the website to find your nearest branch. You matter.
