Cheryl's family heartache as grandparents grave 'deliberately knocked down'

19 December 2023 , 10:47

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Cheryl Tweedy's family have been left devastated by the decision to knock over her grandparents' headstone (Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images)

Cheryl Tweedy's family have hit out after the gravestone of her grandparents was deliberately knocked over.

The grave of her paternal grandparents, Brian and Margaret Tweedy has been flattened at Heaton Cemetery in Newcastle, following concerns from the local council over safety. Although Cheryl was born three after Brian died following a heart attack in 1980, she was extremely close to her gran, Margaret, who died aged 60 in 2001.

Residents in the area have been left enraged after going to pay their respects to their deceased loved ones to find their headstones lying flat. Cheryl's uncle, Tony Tweedy, has shared his horror after discovering the headstone of his parents had been knocked down.

The brother of Cheryl's dad says that the Girls Aloud songstress will be "upset" by the news which her dad, Garry, is likely to tell her about. "I can imagine she will be upset when she finds out, she's like the rest of us," he said, before adding: "She gets emotional about things. Her dad will tell her what's happened. She doesn't come up to Newcastle as much now, but she will be saddened by this.

Tony, 59, claims that Newcastle City Council made no attempts to contact either him, his brother or his sister about the decision to remove the headstone.

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Cheryl Tweedy's grandparents grave has been knocked down due to 'safety fears' (North News & Pictures Ltd northnews.co.uk)

He had been informed about the drastic move by his brother after she visited the grave to pay their respects. Now, the family are facing a bill in excess of £500 to have the headstone repaired following claims it had been unsafe. The Tweedy family, have also received a second quote of £240. Mr Tweedy fumed: "We are disgusted by what's happened. The council couldn't have done this at a worse time, just before Christmas.

"It's when a lot of people visit the graves of loved ones. It's bad enough to lose your parents, but for those who have lost children, the heartache will be even worse, they will be devastated." He added: "The headstone was lying on its back, there was nothing wrong with it. It wasn't loose. There are graves in worse condition which haven't been touched. None of it makes sense." Meanwhile, his wife Debbie, 60, said: "Tony saw families in tears at the cemetery, it's devastating."

Cheryl never met her grandfather, Brian, but was close to her gran, Margaret (North News & Pictures Ltd northnews.co.uk)

Cheryl's uncle says she will be devastated by the news (Dave Benett/Getty Images for The Londoner)

A yellow label has been placed on the headstones with a warning reading: "Warning: This memorial is unsafe." But Tony claims other families have been left horrified by the removal of headstones from graves. Cheryl has remained quiet about her family since finding fame but has remained close to her parents and step-mum.

Her older brother, Andrew Tweedy, previously said that he hadn't spoken to his sister in several years after she gave him a large sum of money in order to try and beat his drug addiction. Andrew previously told The Sun that he was living in a tent and while he was devastated, he said he didn't blame Cheryl for not reaching out.

He said: "I've got so much f***ing pride. With the family I've got, I shouldn't be here. It's horrible. None of them have contacted me. Even though Cheryl’s not helping me, she's still my family. She probably won't even know I’m on the streets. I don't blame her at all. This is the lowest I've ever been."

During her pregnancy with her son Bear, now six, it was believed that her mum, Joan, had moved into her Surrey home to help her as a new mum. But Cheryl, who is fiercely defensive of Joan was quick to shut down speculation that she may have been involved in her and ex-boyfriend Liam Payne's decision to split. She branded the allegations as "nasty" and "false", before praising her mum and describing her as "soft and kind."

A spokesperson for Newcastle City Council told the Mirror: "We have a legal duty to ensure our cemeteries are safe places for people to pay their respects and for our staff to work in. In June, we started a programme of work to carry out safety inspections in all 10 of the council’s managed cemeteries.

"A decision to lay down a memorial is only taken if they are deemed to present a risk to the public. We understand this is an emotive and sensitive subject but we would like to reassure families that the work is carried out with the greatest respect and sensitivity. We always try to contact the last known owner should their headstone need to be repaired but please appreciate this may not always be possible.

"Our staff are always on hand to provide support and guidance to families so they can get their memorials repaired. Residents can contact the Council's Bereavement Services by calling 0191 211 6941 or emailing [email protected]."

Daniel Bird