Lisa Faulkner has paid a heartbreaking tribute to her late mum on what would have been her 75th birthday. Sharing a rare throwback snap from her childhood with her mother Julie, the former EastEnders star wrote: "Happy birthday beautiful mummy who would have been 75 this year. 31 years without her and still some days it hurts my heart so very much. Mostly now I smile as I remember her and talk about her almost daily as if she was still here, 'what would mummy say to this situation?'"
"I'd love to see her reaction to that," she added. "But sometimes the cracks seem so wide and the tears won't stop falling and I wish so hard that I could have one more cuddle or smile and hear her voice and smell her perfume and know that it's all ok. I love you my mummy. I miss you. It hurts today."
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Fans rushed to offer their sympathy, with one saying: "Sending a big hug she was taken far too soon but would be so proud of you Lisa." Another wrote: "I'm so sorry and I know how you feel." A third post read: "I'm thinking you today and sending my love. I lost my beautiful mum in March this year and wonder when my pain will stop. Reading your post it seems like it never does." Another follower remarked: "Bless you Lisa. I lost my mum 13 years ago I feel your hurt. Today have a drink and remember the good times she is still with you in your heart and spirit. Take care."
© Photo: Getty ImagesLisa is engaged to Masterchef judge John Torode
Lisa, 47, lost her mother to cancer when she was just 16 years old. During an interview with Daily Mail in 2012, the TV star revealed she turned to cooking to help with her grief. "My mum was a whirlwind, a proper force," she recalled. "She was a brilliant cook and was always filling the house with people and music and food. She'd make her own pastry – we never had anything bought – and I can still hear, clear as a bell, the sound of her wedding ring tinkling against her glass rolling pin as she shaped it. I remember watching in awe as she made profiteroles, chicken tarragon, beef Wellington… and what’s stayed with me more than anything is the taste of that food."
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She added: "We knew she had cancer, but we didn’t know she was going to die. Victoria and I were at school when we heard the news. It was awful. I was completely lost; not brave in the slightest. I remember going home and ironing Dad’s shirts. I’d never ironed anything before. I started cooking, too. Looking back now I did it because food was my mum. The kitchen was where I felt close to her."
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