Lisa Riley has revealed she is mourning the loss of her 104-year-old great uncle, who has sadly passed away after contracting coronavirus. Appearing on Wednesday's Good Morning Britain, the Emmerdale actress explained that her great uncle Bert caught the virus in hospital following a nasty fall. "My beautiful uncle Burt - he was 104," she told host Lorraine Kelly. "He had a bad fall at home, went into hospital and unfortunately he is one of the statistics. But what a life to celebrate."
WATCH: Lisa Riley shares heartache amid coronavirus
Lisa, 43, confessed that it has been heartbreaking for herself and her family as they won't be able to say bye to Uncle Burt at his funeral. However, the soap star is hoping to plan a special tribute once the restrictions are lifted. "It's horrible we can't go to the funeral, but I was on the phone to my auntie Eleanor and I said, 'What was one of Uncle Burt's favourite things?' It was his family BBQ's," she shared. "So when all this is all over we hope to get together, have a BBQ and play all his Frank Sinatra favourites and sing like uncle Burt would have done."
READ: Lisa Riley reveals she is missing her 'guardian angel' mum in touching post
Lisa Riley appeared via video link on GMB
Meanwhile, Lisa is trying to stay in touch with her family as much as possible. She also revealed that her dad, who turns 70 in May, is classified as high risk. "My dad is 70 in May. He has type two diabetes, he's high risk," she said. "I want to stay connected.'
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Lisa's appearance comes shortly after she paid tribute to her Uncle Bert on Instagram. In the caption, she wrote: "GOD BLESS YOU UNCLE BERT... you are the last of that generation and what a life??? You made it to 104 years old, that's something we can share with all the NEXT generations, what a strong, kind, beautiful man you were... Rest In Peace... and keep singing Frank Sinatra with my Poppa up in heaven." She added: "Thank you for all you did for me, I will NEVER forget."
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