Featured Image Credit: ITV/Instagram/@hannahcphawkins
Topics: TV And Film, Lorraine
Jess Hardiman
Lorraine Kelly has broken down in tears during a moving tribute to late colleague Hannah Hawkins, who sadly passed away last month.
Hawkins, 33, tragically died just months after welcoming her son Rory, having been diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer back in 2020.
She was given the all-clear after 23 rounds of chemotherapy, but sadly the good news was short-lived as, just two days before giving birth in August, she was told that her cancer had returned.
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The Lorraine producer passed away on 3 November, with partner Tom saying in a heartbreaking tribute on Instagram, saying it felt impossible to sum her up in one post.
"I could write an essay on how unfair this is,” Tom wrote.
"That you miss out on seeing Rory growing up, that he won’t be able to feel the love of his mum, and that this terrible illness took hold so quickly.
"But that’s not how you saw it. The remarkable person that you were, the phrase you used so many times over the last few weeks - and it set me off every time; 'I’m so at peace with the life I’ve lived' is something we can all admire.
"The fact that right until the end you were putting others’ feelings first and making us all laugh was just you to a tee."
An episode of Lorraine this week saw Hawkins’ former co-workers and family remember her, with 63-year-old Lorraine Kelly joined by Tom and Rory to discuss her legacy.
They listened to charity single ‘Golden’ by the Check and Change choir featuring Joss Stone, which was created in her honour.
As the song ended, an emotional Kelly could be seen wiping tears from her face.
"I'm so sorry," she said as the track played out.
Leaning over to little Rory, she told him: "That's your mummy's song, that's your mummy's song."
Earlier in the show, Tom recalled how they had listened to the song with Rory just before Hawkins died.
He admitted he found it difficult to bond with his son initially, saying: “He reminds me so much of Hannah."
Thankfully, Tom and Rory have been ‘pulling through’, and have since enjoyed a few ‘adventures’ together.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact Macmillan’s Cancer Support Line on 0808 808 00 00, 8am–8pm seven days a week
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677