Geordie Shore star Holly Hagan has said that her sister Darci has died at the age of 19.
Hagan, 33, who rose to fame on the MTV reality show in 2011, did not share the cause of death, but said in a statement that she and her family had been left “traumatised” by the loss.
“The last four days have been something I hope no family ever has to go through,” Hagan wrote on Instagram. “We are traumatised in every sense of the word.”
Hagan said that her sister died “holding my hand surrounded by family and her best friends” and thanked intensive care unit (ICU) staff at Manchester Royal Infirmary hospital.
“Because of you all we have had the opportunity to hold her hand, stroke her hair and feel her heart beating for the last time,” she said.
Sharing memories of her sister, Hagan said Darci was “so beautiful”, and had been the “best aunty” to her two-year-old son Alpha-Jax, whom she shares with her footballer husband Jacob Blyth.
She added that Darci had sought to pursue a career in social work to help children.
“I just know she’s looking after all the babies up there,” Hagan wrote, adding that she would cherish her memories of Darci playing with her son on his birthday.
“I don’t know if I’m behaving in a way I assumed I would when grieving,” the reality star reflected, “But I genuinely feel she has given me so much strength and is watching over us all as our guardian angel.
“We love you so much baby girl. Forever 19,” Hagan wrote.
While Hagan starred in 13 seasons of Geordie Shore and went on to appear on other reality TV shows including Celebrity Storage Hunters and Celebrity 100% Hotter, Darci remained out of the spotlight.
The reality star detailed her relationship with her sister in her 2014 memoir Not Quite a Geordie, in which she said she loved Darci from the moment she was born and really enjoyed babysitting her sibling.
“Goodnight baby girl you are and have always been so loved,” Hagan wrote on social media.
Meanwhile, her Geordie Shore co-star Charlotte Crosby said she was “blessed to have known such a beautiful girl”, adding her own daughter Alba gravitated to Darcy because she “radiated warmth”.
“So kind and caring,” she added. “Reading this post has broke[n] my heart. I love you so much Holly.”
