A mum who tragically passed away just weeks before Christmas had already wrapped her family's presents.
Featherstone Rover and English rugby league star Natalie Harrowell , 29, was admitted to hospital with a virus but died on Tuesday.
Her grieving family said the sports star loved Christmas had already bought and wrapped all of her gifts- but will no longer be able to see the faces of those who receive them.
Natalie's dad Mark Harrowell told Hull Live Natalie was "cheeky, mischievous" and never wanted to grow up.
"She wanted to go to Neverland, and she got that one wish," he said.
Her mum Jill said Natalie would always spend Christmas Day with the family of her partner Phil, before coming home with him, her daughter Olivia, seven, and stepdaughter Ruby, eight, to spend Boxing Day with her family.
"She loved Christmas. They'd always spend Christmas Day with Phil and his family and then come over with the girls to have Boxing Day with us, so Boxing Day is going to be so hard," she said.
"She's even got all her presents sorted and wrapped and she's not going to be there to give them.
"Every time, beginning of November, she'd be asking, 'Can I put my tree up?' She was just such an amazing girl."
Dad Mark added: "It's absolutely ripped our hearts out.
"Every morning you wake up and for a second you don't realise, and then you do and the sadness sets in again.
"We're not really coping right now, the only way we're getting through is with the love of everyone around us.
"Just seeing all the love out there for her and everywhere it's coming from, from the rugby to the papers to her friends. All these people saying how loved she was."
The Hull-born sports star had won three rugby league caps for England.
Natalie had followed her brother Andy into the sport at age 16 and went on to play three times for England, and star in the first-ever Women's Super League final against Bradford for Featherstone Rovers in 2017.
It was not just her success on the pitch that defined her rugby career, but the way she promoted the sport to other young women and supported other players in times of need, her dad Mark said.
"She wanted girls to be coming through. She brought in so many young girls into the women's league who looked up to her and aspired to be like her.
"Whatever people were struggling with she'd be on their shoulder. She put everyone else before herself.
"The women's league has grown and grown with the love of what she has helped to create.
"She got girls to come and want to play to make it as big as it is."
"She loved Hull FC, she was black and white through and through. But she was also blue for Featherstone. Other clubs wanted her but she said no so she could stay at Featherstone."
Featherstone Rovers have now retired Natalie's shirt number, with a spokesperson from the club recently calling her a "key member" of the team and commending her passionate approach to getting more young girls involved in the game.
Her brother Andy said: "One of her main goals was to help women's rugby.
"She always wanted women's rugby to be on the big stage, which she finally got in 2017. We're so immensely proud of her.
"She inspired people to be better versions of themselves - on and off the pitch.
"She suffered two bad ACL injuries and the whole time she was recovering she'd be on the phone to other people in similar situations or even those in the same hospital picking them up.
"The women's game wouldn't have been half as big as it is now without her. She was irreplaceable."
The family said they have received countless messages of love and support from people who knew her as news of her death made headlines around the world.
"She has a massive legacy," dad Mark said. "People just can't believe what's happened.
"She was loving, caring, an inspiration. It doesn't matter who met her, whether it was for a minute, a day or years, she left her mark.
"She had a really cheeky smile, she was always joking around, really mischievous and fun-loving. She loved life and everyone in it and never had a bad word to say about anyone.
"Family meant everything to her, it was her world. It was family first, then rugby second.
"Phil was the love of her life and she lived for her little girl and her stepdaughter. She was his rock. When things got tough she would always pick him up. She could pick anyone up, she'd always be a shoulder to cry on.
"If we could take her pain away and bring her back, I'd do it now."
Her mum Jill added: "It's the third day I've not spoken to her, for the first time in years. I can't believe it.
"It's impossible to tell anyone how proud we were of her."
Fellow Featherstone player Kayleigh Bulman said: "Natalie was always one of the toughest girls on and off the field, anyone that knows her personally would agree. She was always full of laughs and loved this time of the year, even if she did start celebrating Christmas in August.
"Nat will be strongly missed and I can speak on behalf of every Featherstone player - every time we lace up our boots, she will be in thought."
Friend Charlie Parkinson said: "She was just so passionate about everything she did. She took me kicking and screaming to play rugby because I didn't want to go, I was scared to death. But even at that young age, she wanted to promote the game.
"I was just so immensely proud when she got the England call up. It was always a dream for her.
"She was the life and soul of every party. Every time you walked into a room, Nat would be there smiling.
"I knew she was always there for me and I was always there for her."
Now Charlie has set up a JustGiving page and is hoping to raise funds to help pay for Natalie's funeral.
"You just don't expect something like this to happen and it's difficult to find the funds for a funeral to give her the bloody good send-off she deserves," she said.
Anyone wanting to support the family and contribute to the funds being raised for Natalie's funeral can do so by visiting the JustGiving page here.
