Charlotte Hawkins' 'physical pain' after 'irreplaceable' family member's death

28 November 2023 , 10:36

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Charlotte Hawkins' 'physical pain' after 'irreplaceable' family member's death

Good Morning Britain presenter Charlotte Hawkins has opened up about the tragic loss of her beloved dog Bailey, who sadly passed away earlier this year.

The TV host, 48, her husband of 15 years Mark Herbert and their daughter Ella Rose, rehomed Bailey when she was only a puppy at four months old and the family managed to enjoy her company until she was 16.

After breaking down in tears while on the morning news programme following a brief announcement of her passing in August, Charlotte was flooded with messages of love and support from viewers who saw her visibly heartbroken.

Charlotte Hawkins opens up on passing of her beloved dog Bailey (SplashNews.com)

Charlotte Hawkins and her 'irreplaceable' dog Bailey

Recalling the moment the family sadly said goodbye to Bailey, the TV host said in a recent interview: "We knew we only had a matter of time with Bailey but the physical pain I felt when we lost her still took me by surprise. She was a really important member of our family and such a beautiful, special dog." It has been 12 weeks since Bailey's passing but it still remains painful as she and her family are still immersed in grief.

She told OK! magazine that grief hits her the most when "not hearing her paws on the tiles and thinking, ‘oh I have to feed the dog’, and remembering she’s not there”. She added: "At the moment it feels like she’s irreplaceable, but I’m a massive dog lover and I know we’ll have another pet at some point, we just have to work out as a family when it’s the right time. Ella is currently campaigning for a cat, but Mark doesn’t like them so I think she’s going to have a bit of a battle on her hands!."

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Back in August Charlotte's GMB co-star Adil Ray was the first one to announce the death of her pet pooch by saying: "I have to say, by the way, condolences to you, you recently lost your dog, Bailey." And despite being on live TV, Charlotte immediately broke down in tears but managed to reply: "I didn't expect that, that's the thing, it's hit me really hard actually. Thank you to everybody who sent me a message because I have not been able to talk about it and I've had so much support from people. "

She added: "I think for anyone who has lost a pet, you know how much they mean to you. She was with us for 16 years, a beautiful, gorgeous rescue dog who we loved very dearly." Charlotte had previously mentioned the loss on social media earlier that week along with adorable pictures of Bailey.

And she captioned the post saying: "It’s taken a while for me to be able to post this as I can’t believe she’s gone. Our beautiful, gorgeous rescue dog Bailey has left us. She brought us so much joy over the last 16 years. One of the family, who was much-loved by all who met her. She had such a lovely nature, and helped cure quite a few who had a fear of dogs."

She continued: "She was filmed recently for my @itvtonight documentary, then died just a few days afterwards so that’s the last footage I have of her. She’ll be very much-missed. There’s now no patter of paws coming to greet me, no wagging tail at the door. It’s not the same without her." Alongside the caption was a paw emoji and a sad face.

And within seconds the star was inundated with messages from friends and co-workers. Fellow co-host Susanna Reid wrote: "So so sorry Charlotte - I know how much you loved Bailey - an adored member of your family - sending you love." Comedian Alan Carr added: "Oh no!!!! sending you lots of love." And presenter Ben Fogle penned: "So sorry Charlotte." The presenter's daughter Ella Rose also had an especially close relationship with Bailey.

Lucretia Munro