Nadia Sawalha took to social media on Monday to pay an emotional tribute to nanny Thelma – the beloved grandmother of her husband Mark Adderley. The Loose Women panellist shared a collage of photographs of Thelma with her family members following the sad news of her death at the age of 95. Nadia thanked her followers for their condolences, and shared some memories written down by Mark, telling fans: "Mark texted me these beautiful words last night that came to him whilst sitting in Nanny Thelma’s bungalow . I want to share them with you because I think they sum up so perfectly what it means to be loved by your nan... Rest in peace Thelma xx."
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Nadia Sawalha's nanny Thelma sadly passed away
The TV presenter went on to share her husband's memories of the times he had spent with his grandmother over the years, which included getting the Christmas tree, going to antiques fairs and playing countless board games together. Fans were quick to send their condolences following Mark's emotional words, with one writing: "My prayers are with you and your family at this sad time," while another said: "What lovely memories. I'm so sorry for your family's loss." A third added: "Blubbering into my coffee, beautiful words for a very special woman, I loved seeing nanny Thelma making an appearance in your videos, what a woman!"
Nadia posted a video tribute to Thelma on Instagram
Nadia has often spoken about her close relationship with Thelma. Back in 2014, she paid a sweet tribute to her on her 91st birthday on Twitter, writing: "My beautiful nanny Thelma 91 years old and the sharpest brain I know." The mum-of-two then replied to a fan, revealing that Thelma was Mark's nan, but she had "nabbed her".
Earlier in the day, Kaye Adams – who Nadia shares her Instagram page with - shared a video clip explaining the reason behind their lack of posts recently, and broke the news of nanny Thelma's death. She said: "Hi everyone, I just wanted to explain why we have gone a little quiet of late. Sadly Nadia's family have lost nanny Thelma, which has been very difficult and painful for them." She then added that she herself was going through a tough time, saying: "My old mum has had a bit of a health set-back and so I have been focusing on that. And it's just life I guess."
