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Socialite Tara Palmer-Tomkinson dies aged 45

Tara Palmer-Tomkinson has passed away aged 45
Tara Palmer-Tomkinson has passed away aged 45

TV personality and socialite Tara Palmer-Tomkinson has died aged 45.

She was diagnosed with a brain tumour in January 2016, and died at her London home on Wednesday.

A police spokesperson said officers were called to an address in London at around 1.40pm and discovered the body of a woman in her 40s.

Police say the death is being treated as "unexplained", but not suspicious.

The former 'IT Girl' discovered she had the tumour following a series of tests after she complained of feeling run down the previous summer.

Doctors confirmed a growth in her pituitary gland, which was non-malignant, but was affecting the production of hormone prolactin.

In November 2016, Palmer-Tomkinson said: "I went to the doctors to talk about my latest blood test results when I got back from skiing in January.

"I said, 'What does this mean? Can you translate it?’ And the doctor said, 'As I suspected, you have a brain tumour.'"

The former I'm A Celebrity... contestant also said that the blood tests showed that she was suffering from an auto-immune disease which causes tiredness, joint pain and acute anaemia.

Palmer-Tomkinson hit out at press coverage which presumed that her ill-health had been the result of her well documented drug usage.

She said: "It has been really hard. This whole summer was quite bad. There were pictures of me going shopping with my sister. I've got white pyjamas on and was just leaving the hospital to go shopping."

Best quotes: Palmer-Tomkinson in her own words

Palmer-Tomkinson, who was born on December 23, 1971 led a colourful life and was often in the press for her party-going lifestyle.

She made headlines with a £400-a-day cocaine addiction, which left her needing septum reconstruction surgery in 2006.

Palmer-Tomkinson, who was god daughter to Prince Charles, enjoyed a close relationship with the Royal Family, and attended William and Kate's wedding in 2011.

Prince Charles and his wife Camilla issued a statement saying they were "deeply saddened and our thoughts are so much with the family."

Click here for all the tributes to Palmer-Tomkinson

She appeared on RTÉ's Tubridy Tonight chat show in 2006 and spoke about the pitfalls of fame, including her torment from the paparazzi.

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Palmer-Tomkinson made numerous appearances on TV including her stint in the Jungle in 2002, finishing runner-up. She then went on to present three series on ITV2 of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me out of Here! Now.

She also took part in reality shows Spelling Bee and Cold Turkey, which followed her attempts to quit smoking with Sophie Anderton, celebrity specials of A Place in the Sun and Blind Date and in episodes of Tabloid Tales, With a Little Help from my Friends, Russian Roulette, Celebrities Under Pressure and Project Catwalk.

Palmer-Tomkinson took the wheel in Top Gear's reasonably-priced car in 2002 and was a guest panelist on comedy show Would I Lie to You? in both 2007 and 2008.

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