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The Only Way Is Essex star Chloe Lewis has posted a poignant tribute to her late ex-boyfriend Jake Hall after his sudden death earlier this month.
Towie star Hall, 35, was found dead at a holiday villa in Majorca on May 6, with figures from across the TV world flocking to pay tribute to the reality star and fashion designer.
He is survived by an eight-year-old daughter, River, whom he shared with ex Misse Beqiri, with Beriqi saying their ‘hearts were shattered’.
Now Lewis – who famously dated Hall on-and-off for eight years in their youth until their break-up in 2016 – has posted a long tribute on her social media.
‘My first love, my childhood sweetheart. A love that taught me so much about life and myself, and even more so now your presence is no longer here,’ she started the caption under a slideshow of pictures and videos of Hall and the pair.
She continued: ‘A complete pain in the arse most of the time, but always with the purest heart and the greatest soul. You touched so many lives and meant well in everything you did.
‘I knew who you were… and I know what you wanted from life… a happy home and a loving family.’
Praising his efforts as a father, she then reflected on their first meeting aged 16 on a night out, teasing that he ‘looked like [he] had stepped straight out of a Ralph Lauren catalogue’.
Reminiscing on how they ‘belly-laughed until the early hours’ on their first meeting, she said he made her ‘feel like the most wonderful person’.
‘From that day on, we were inseparable, and you became my best friend,’ she added.
Lewis joined Towie in 2015, and her and Hall’s relationship was a dominant storyline in the show.
She continued: ‘Navigating our young years and being thrown into a reality TV show, being in the public eye wasn’t really what we wanted, but it all just happened so quickly & it took over our relationship. It was a huge struggle for me & mentally hurt us both,’ she said.
Sharing that they ‘had their ups and downs’, ultimately they separated after 10 years together.
Calling him the ‘most talented and creative’ person who founded menswear label Prévu Studio, she called his items ‘unique’.
Reflecting on his love for music, meanwhile, she said: ‘I’ll never forget the moment you sang Ordinary People to me for the first time, and it will forever be our song.’
‘I wouldn’t have changed you for the world. The last few weeks have felt very surreal, and I still don’t really know how to process you being gone,’ she said.
After breaking up, the pair remained friends, and Lewis revealed they last saw each other on February 14, where she told him to ‘take care of himself’.
‘You were such a massive and special part of my life, and I truly hoped that we would grow old, that I’d see you one day, happy and at peace with life,’ she mourned.
She concluded: ‘You’ll be in my thoughts forever, and I’m sorry I couldn’t have saved you. The world feels quieter since you’ve been gone, like somehow all the music is all wrong.
‘I hope it’s peaceful up there, and I really hope that one day I get to see you again. Keep shining like you always do. Stay Magic.’
Her heartfelt words – which you can read in full here – have moved friends and fans.
‘What a beautiful tribute,’ comedian Laura Smyth wrote.
‘Oh Chloe I’m so sorry. Sending you so much love,’ actor Michelle Keegan added.
‘I’m so sorry for your loss Chlo,’ Vicky Pattison consoled.
‘Oh Chlo these words are so beautiful.. as they say .. “it’s better to have loved than to never have loved at all” sending you so much love & hugs,’ Towie co-star Amber Dowding shared.
Jake Hall’s death – What we know
Police found Jake Hall lying in a pool of blood with fatal injuries caused by shards of glass after he reportedly smashed his head through a door.
The former Towie star had been in Majorca with witnesses informing investigators he had been ‘partying all night and decided to carry on the party back at the place he was renting’.
Police were called to the rented property at 7.30am and have interviewed four men and two women staying at the house.
A neighbour told local paper Ultima Hora: ‘It must have been around 2am. It was late but I was still awake.
‘I began to hear a very loud noise, as if they were drilling something. I felt the walls vibrate. They stopped after about five minutes and then I fell asleep.’
Another neighbour said she hadn’t heard anything out of the ordinary.
Hall’s body was removed from the property at around 1pm yesterday.
There have been no arrests and an autopsy will take place in the Majorcan capital Palma.
According to reports, Hall had invited friends back to the villa for a small after-party following a night out in Palma. At around 7.15am the next morning glass was heard smashing.
Rafel, a nearby construction worker, rushed over to help after hearing the commotion and found Hall with several cuts all over his body.
He told the Daily Mail at the time: ‘I am no hero. I would have tried to save anyone who had been in that position and I would like to think anyone else would too.’
After his death, his brother, Sonny Hall, also shared a moving message.
On social media, he posted a heartbreaking poem titled The Dragonfly, one often used to explain death to children, and was met with an influx of support.
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