Duncan James has opened up about the death of his former girlfriend Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, saying that "in a way, she gave up". Speaking exclusively to HELLO!, the Blue band member said: "Tara was my girl. We were great together. We laughed so much and had big rows but that was how we were. She had health problems and I kept telling her to get checked out, but she wouldn't go. In a way, she gave up. It all became a bit too much."
Tara sadly died of a burst ulcer and peritonitis at her home in London in February. She was 45. Duncan, 39, added: "It's so sad because she was a talented, clever, witty person. I miss her. I can't listen to her album Flawed because hearing her voice brings back memories. It's still too raw."
"Tara was my girl," said Duncan
Duncan was speaking to HELLO! alongside his Blue bandmates Simon Webbe, Lee Ryan and Antony Costa. Known as the "good-looking one", Duncan had a list of famous girlfriends, including Geri Halliwell and Martine McCutcheon. The pop-star-turned-actor, who now plays Ryan Knight in Hollyoaks, later came out as gay but struggled with his sexuality at first. "I didn't talk to the boys about it because I didn't want them to look at me differently," he said. "But coming out is the best thing I ever did because I'm so happy now. I can be myself and I'm comfortable in my skin."
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Duncan with his Blue bandmates Lee, Antony and Simon
The Blue boys reminisced about their days as one of the most successful groups of the boyband era, when they racked up a staggering 16 million record sales, three UK No.1 platinum-selling albums and two Brit awards. Simon was already a dad to Alanah, now 20, when the band hit the big time. "That's probably why I kept on the straight and narrow compared to some of the others," he said of his fellow bandmates. "I had to think about my little girl first and wonder how my actions would affect her."
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