Louis Tomlinson's sister Lottie opens up on tragic deaths of mother and sister

The sister of Doncaster pop star Louis Tomlinson has spoken of her grief after the tragic deaths of her mother and sister.
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Lottie Tomlinson, 21, told TV host Lorraine Kelly that she has 'got to a good point' with her grief after undergoing counselling following the death of her mum Johannah Deakin, 43. in 2016 following a leukaemia battle and her sister Felicite who died aged just 18 last year after an accidental drugs overdose.

Appearing on Monday's episode of Lorraine, the social media sensation, who is a new ambassador for bereavement support charity Sue Ryder, revealed therapy after Félicité's death helped her with the grieving process.

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Discussing her mother's death in 2016, she said: 'It was really fast. That made it harder. We didn't have time to get our head around things and process it. She was the best.

Lottie Tomlison has spoken of the deaths of her mother and sister. (Photo: ITV)Lottie Tomlison has spoken of the deaths of her mother and sister. (Photo: ITV)
Lottie Tomlison has spoken of the deaths of her mother and sister. (Photo: ITV)

'She made her whole life about us and did everything for us. She was the sweetest, kindest woman.

Lorraine asked: 'And then three years later, your poor sister. Have you learned anything that helped you?'

Lottie said: 'I feel like I was able to deal with it a lot better with my sister. I had picked up a few coping mechanisms.

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'I got extra help when my sister died than when my mum died. I want people to know that you can get help.

It does really help with the grieving process when you go and speak to someone.

'A lot of people try and deal with it themselves but I think it's important that you don't go through it alone.

Lottie said the support from Louis' fans as well as Sue Ryder had enabled her to manage her grief.

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She said: 'They [fans] have always been so kind to us. It's like an extended family and having them supporting us really helped.

'It's amazing what Sue Ryder does, you can get six online sessions with a professional counsellor and peer to peer support. It's amazing what they can do.

'They've got such a different perspective on things. You can divulge about yourself.

'Having not had therapy when my mum died compared to when my sister died, it was such a different kind of grief. I look back and think, I should have just done it the first time. It was a longer and more painful process than it was when my sister died.

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'I feel really good. I feel I've got to a good point with my grief and just to be able to pass that onto people really helps me with my grief.'

Lottie also praised big brother Louis for being 'supportive.'

She added: 'Grieving in lockdown is so hard and a lot of people are losing people at the moment. Being able to let people know about Sue Ryder's services, it's a really important time right now.

As her ambassadorial role was announced, she said: 'I want to try and help people because grief can be such a scary thing.

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'You need to keep talking about it otherwise you get lost in your feelings and that can send you into a really dark place.

'I can't imagine how hard it's been for people grieving during lockdown and that's why I really want to spread the word about Sue Ryder's free video counselling. It is so important to keep people talking about their grief so they don't spiral.

'I also want to help to guide people when it comes to supporting someone that is grieving because I think so many people don't know what to say or how to act. One of the hardest things for me was people not bringing it up, it makes it even harder because you've lost that person and it feels like they're fading away.'

As well as Louis, 28, and Lottie, Johannah was also mother to twins Daisy and Phoebe, and twins Ernest and Doris, aged just two when she passed away.