EXCLUSIVE: As Gemma Atkinson pens a moving open letter to her late dad on her 24th Father's Day without him, the TV and radio star reveals the heartwrenching question her little girl asks about dad Gorka
Gemma Atkinson was only 17 years old when she lost her much-loved dad David, who died of a heart attack at just 52. Marking her 24th Father’s Day without him, Gemma, in support of the palliative care and bereavement charity Sue Ryder, pens an emotional open letter in which she remembers the special person he was.
"It’s funny how kids pick up on things. When Gorka’s away, working on Strictly, Mia asks me when Papa’s coming home. I tell her he’ll be back but twice now she’s said to me, “But your papa didn’t come home", says Gemma. "I explain that her daddy is much fitter. That we have FaceTime and mobiles now. I let her know she can get hold of her papa anytime she wants. We often visit your grave but we always keep it positive. I don’t want to give her a fear of death.
She also says she keeps her dad's spirit alive with her children by talking about him regularly. "I talk to Thiago and Mia about you all the time. They call you GanGan David. We’ve got a picture of you in the house and Mia thinks GanGan David lives on the moon and you can’t get out. "You’d adore Thiago too. He looks exactly like you did as a baby. That’s the first thing everyone said when he was born. People joke that Gorka has no genetics in our children whatsoever. It’s because both of them are so like me and you.
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