Lottie Tomlinson has paid tribute to her late mother and sister on the anniversary of her parent’s tragic death five years ago.
The 23-year-old model – who is also the younger sister of 29-year-old One Direction star Louis Tomlinson – lost her mum, Johannah, aged 43 in December 2016 following a battle against leukaemia.
Then in March 2019, Lottie and Louis’ younger sister, Félicité Tomlinson, died aged just 18-years-old following an accidental drugs overdose at her London home.
Taking to Instagram on Tuesday, Lottie paid tribute to her late mother and shared a photograph of a hand-written note that was given to her just days before her death.
Sharing the note dated 27 November 2016 and reading: “To my gorgeous princess. The bravest big eyes in the world. Love you forever, Mummy,” Lottie said the note was her most treasured possession.
In an emotional post, she wrote: “5 years without my Mum. My last card from her 10 days before she went to heaven. I love you forever too Mama & I’ll treasure this forever.
“As always if anyone else is struggling with the grief of losing a loved one I work closely with @suerydercharity who have so many amazing services that can help you please get in touch if you need to.”
View this post on Instagram
Lottie is an ambassador for bereavement charity Sue Ryder – a company that supports ‘people who are living with a terminal illness, a neurological condition or who have lost someone’ and who declare: “we are there when it matters.”
In a statement in support of the charity, Lottie said that the charity helped her when both her mother and sister died within 27 months of each other.
Lottie said: “When my mum and sister died, I quickly learned that many people didn’t know what to say to me.
“They were naturally worried about upsetting me, but I wish people would have brought it up more, as it helps if I can talk about my grief openly.
“When you’ve lost someone, you can feel like they are fading away.
“Talking about my mum and sister and sharing stories helps to keep their memory alive.”
She added: “I would advise anyone supporting a loved one after a bereavement to bring it up and give them a safe space to divulge how they feel.”
Louis has previously opened up about the devastating impact of the loss of his mother – saying he struggled to create music while he grieved.
He told USA Today in 2019: “After I lost my mum, every song I wrote felt, not pathetic, but that it lacked true meaning to me. I felt that, as a songwriter, I wasn’t going to move on until I’d written a song like that.”
He explained he was able to create music again after collaborating with others.
He said: “It was like the song I always wished I’d written. I went in and put my personal touch to the verses.
“It was a real moment for me in my grief, and as part of the creative process, because it felt like it was hanging over me.”
And speaking of his sister's death, he went on: "That whole dark side I’ve gone through, it sounds stupid to say, but it gives me strength everywhere else in my life, because that’s the darkest (expletive) that I’m going to have to deal with.
"So it makes everything else, not feel easier and not less important, but, in the grand scheme of things, you see things for what they are, I suppose."
For more information on the Sue Ryder charity, for support and to find ways to donate, visit SueRyder.org
