Former Hollyoaks actress and radio presenter Gemma Atkinson has shared an emotional update with her fans following the heartbreaking death of her pet dog.
Taking to her Instagram Stories on Monday, the mother-of-two, 39, thanked her fans for their supportive messages whilst seemingly holding back tears. Overcome with emotion, she said: "Just to say thank you again. My hair's not been washed in days. Norm's obviously not here now. Well he is, just not in his shell.
"Although the amount of feathers, white feathers, genuinely… So much happened these last few days that I will tell you about when I can speak about it without crying… Thank you for your messages. We're good, we're cracking on aren't we Ol."
Gemma shared news of Norman's passing in a poignant Instagram post which also featured a montage of video clips and snippets documenting her furry friend's best family moments.
"My beautiful boy Norman has passed away. My heart is broken," she wrote in her caption.
"12 years ago I made a promise to him that I would always take care of him and never allow him to be in pain or to suffer. Had I put off making the hardest decision of my life any longer I would have broken that promise."
She continued: "It's hard to put into words how much Norman changed my life and made it so much better Simply by just being there… He was my first experience of being a mum and having someone other than myself to care for. He’s taught me a lot. Mainly to always live in the moment, remain positive and to keep trying."
Gemma finished by adding: "They say the sadness we feel when we lose a loved one is the price we pay for loving them so much, and boy did I love you Norman. In all these years the only time you've broken my heart is today, when yours stopped beating. I'm going to love you, miss you and remember you forever."
Gemma is a proud owner to Spaniel Ollie whom she shares with her fiance, Strictly star Gorka Marquez. The radio presenter has always been a huge advocate for raising children around animals.
During a chat with HELLO! in 2020, she told us: "I've had people message me saying she [Mia] shouldn't be around them, she's too young, you can't trust them. I know Norman and Ollie's character 100 percent, but I would never leave Mia own her own with them, ever.
"It's a responsibility as a parent to a human and a parent to a dog. Situations can happen, a dog can react if it's feeling threatened or frightened the same as a human would."
Explaining how she has been educating Mia about living with dogs, she said it's all about family time together. "I'm all for all of us sitting on the couch together", Gemma added.