Lottie Tomlinson opens up on Lorraine about losing mum and sister
The make-up artist and sister of One Direction star Louis Tomlinson had to deal with two devastating losses before she turned 21.
Watch: Lottie Tomlinson details 'really tough time' for her family after mother and sister died
What did you miss?
Lottie Tomlinson has opened up on how she dealt with the grief of losing her mum and sister early in life - and why she still feels lucky despite family tragedy.
The make-up artist and sister of One Direction's Louis Tomlinson joined the Lorraine show on Thursday to talk about how she is helping others through grief, as well as sharing her excitement at expecting her second child.
She also praised her famous brother for being such a great uncle and said that her two-year-old son has the superstar genes, too.
What, how, and why?
Influencer Tomlinson had a dream start to her career, going on tour around the world with her brother Louis to learn from One Direction's make-up artist team.
But despite their family's many successes and incredible experiences, they have been hit by two devastating tragedies - their mother Johannah died of leukaemia in 2016, and they lost younger sister Félicité to an accidental overdose in 2019.
Lottie, now 25, spoke to Lorraine host Christine Lampard about having been through two huge losses before she turned 21 and how she hopes to help others who are grieving.
Although she was just 18 when her mum passed away, Lottie took on a maternal role for her siblings and said: "I think it was such a natural instinct for me and I credit my mum for that because she instilled this really maternal instinct into us all and I think when something like that happens, you go into a survival and instinct mode and straight away.
"I knew that the little ones needed me and I wanted to do whatever I could to make things easier for them. It was such a life changing experience for me to have that responsibility and I think it really set the tone for everything else that happened in my life."
Talking about then losing sister Félicité, she said: "I think it was just really hard that we knew we were going to have to go back to square one and deal with it all again. When something as big as losing a parent happens, you never expect it to get any worse than that, and then it did so it was a really tough time for the whole family. I think we’ve really stuck together and we’ve managed to come through the other side."
Lottie works with the Sue Ryder charity to help others who are grieving and has written a book, Lucky Girl, about her experiences.
She said: "I'm really shocked looking back that we weren't offered anything, especially given the deaths being medical. We were surrounded by a lot of medical professionals, so even something as simple as a leaflet, a bit of direction on where you can go for some help.
"If someone would have handed me a book like this in the depths of my grief, it would have been such an encouraging story to read, and that's what I hope to do. I've gone on to be happier than I ever thought I would be able to be," she added. "I think it's a really nice message for people that are also struggling."
Lottie Tomlinson says son looks like Louis Tomlinson
Lottie also spoke about how much her two-year-old son looks like her famous brother Louis. She said: “He has a real kind of mop hairstyle and he's got a rock star dress sense so people do compare and I can see it, definitely. He’s a great uncle and Lucky loves him."
The influencer, who is expecting her second baby in January, explained why she had called her son Lucky and her book Lucky Girl.
She said: "I think it’s just always been the way that (my mum) was able to feel grateful for what she’s got when she was really ill and I think that’s always stuck with me and it’s a powerful trait to carry through life.
"It’s been a massive way that I have been able to cope with a lot of my grief by trying to change really negative, sad things that have happened into a positive in any way that may be. It just helps you cope and get through it."
Lorraine airs on ITV1 at 9am on weekdays.
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