Shortly after Jonathan Ross announced the sad news of his mother's passing, the chat show host was inundated with condolence messages. On Wednesday morning, Jonathan told his followers that family would be saying goodbye to his mum Martha Ross, who passed away aged 80. His friends including - Ant and Dec - were some of the first to reach on Twitter, with the Geordie duo simply sharing a love-heart emoji. EastEnders star Shane Richie wrote: "What a lady, what a bloody great lady. I remember how nervous I was on my very first day on Albert Square back in 2002 and she just held my hand… she had a heart bigger than any fictional market...thank you Martha."
"Sending love and strength to you and the family Jonathan," tweeted Sanjeev Bhaskar, while Loose Women's Andrea McLean said: "I'm so sad to hear this Jonathan. Sending the Ross Clan hugs from the McLean Clan." Kevin Bishop added: "So sorry to hear that Jonathan. I used to have my lunch with her when I was on Grange Hill. A big character." Earlier on in the day, Jonathan released an emotional statement, which read: "Today, my family and I will gather to say goodbye to our mum, grandma, great-grandma. Martha. A wonderful, loving, glamorous, thoughtful, vivacious woman. Always smiling. Always happy. Always putting us first. We were so lucky to have her. We love you mum x."
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Martha was an actress and had roles in shows including EastEnders, where she worked as an extra until November 2006. She also starred in Grange Hill and Barrymore, along with appearing on the stage in productions such as The Last Game and The Firm's Big Night Out. As well as Jonathan, she was also mum to TV presenter Paul Ross, TV producer Simon Ross, actor Miles Ross and music industry professional Adam Ross, as well as daughter Liza Ross, who works in the media industry.
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