Gary Rhodes was laid to rest over the weekend following his tragic death at the age of 59. The TV chef's family and friends said their final goodbyes to the star at an intimate ceremony in London on Sunday, where his wife Jennie and sons Sam and George paid tribute to him, along with his brother Chris. After the cremation, Gary's family and friends celebrated his life at a reception at Grosvenor House Hotel, where according to the Daily Mail, some of the chef's favourite recipes were served on the menu. These included prawn satay sticks, beef cheek cottage pie and tarts.
TV chef Gary Rhodes was laid to rest on Sunday
The former Strictly Come Dancing star passed away suddenly in November after collapsing suddenly at home in Dubai. He had spent the week filming for a new ITV series called Delicious Dubai, which is set to air on ITV in the New Year. The star's cause of death was confirmed by his family in a statement shortly after he passed away on 26 November. It read: "In order to end painful speculation surrounding the sudden passing of our beloved Gary Rhodes OBE, the Rhodes family can confirm that after a successful day shooting with Rock Oyster Media for ITV here in Dubai, Gary returned home in a very happy mood for a peaceful evening with his wife Jennie.
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The former Strictly Come Dancing star passed away suddenly in November
"After dinner, Gary unfortunately collapsed in their residence and was rushed to hospital but unfortunately passed away due to subdural hematoma. At this time, there are no other details and the family would again request privacy around this very tragic loss and again, thank friends and family for their ongoing support at this time."
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Tributes for Gary came in from his family and famous friends, including celebrity chefs Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver and John Torode. The star's Strictly Come Dancing partner Karen Hardy also paid her respects to him. On the day his death was announced, It Takes Two host Zoe Ball halted the show in order to pay her respects to the beloved star. She said: "Now you may have heard the very sad news that Gary Rhodes passed away today. Gary was a member of the Strictly family back in 2008 when he danced with Karen Hardy. This evening, our love and thoughts go out to Gary's family and friends." Strictly judge Bruno Tonioli also shared on Twitter: "Can’t believe the news... #rip Gary Rhodes.... Life is just too short and precious...x"
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