Chloe Lewis has shared a touching tribute to the late Jake Hall following his death earlier this month. The pair, a former couple, appeared on The Only Way Is Essex together back in 2015, and she described him as her "first love" and "childhood sweetheart".
Jake passed away on 6 May at a villa in Santa Margarita, Majorca, from injuries that were believed to have been accidental (via The Guardian). He was 35 years old at the time of his death.
Today, Chloe posted a video montage on Instagram of the two together over the years. In a lengthy caption and follow-up comment, the reality star said that Jake would "be in my thoughts forever".
"My first love, my childhood sweetheart," she said. "A love that taught me so much about life and myself, and even more so now your presence is no longer here. 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. Being the best dad was the most important thing to you & we always use to speak about it. You did that, Jake, with pride and made it look so easy and effortless. Like I knew you would."
She recalled how they met at the age of 16, when they danced together and "belly-laughed until the early hours". "You made me feel like I was the most wonderful person you had ever met," she added.
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Touching on their eventual break-up in 2016, Lewis said: "Life got in the way, and we separated after spending 10 years together. We didn’t love wrong, we just didn’t know how to hold on to it."
She called the time since his passing "very surreal", concluding: "Heartache echoes through the world for you Jake. I’ve never seen so many people pour their love out for one person. I wish you could see it all — to realise just how deeply you were loved.
"I hope you can now, and that your mind is finally peaceful. You’ll be in my thoughts forever, and I’m sorry I couldn’t have saved you. 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."
Hall's former partner Misse Beqiri, with whom he shares a daughter, posted her own tribute following his death, saying: "My heart is shattered, and so is our daughter's."
If you identify with the themes in this article, the NHS has resources available to help with grief counselling and other support in the UK. In the US, the CDC also has resources available for those grieving.
Shaun is an Evening News Editor at Digital Spy, with over a decade of experience reporting on all things pop culture. He has written for outlets including Metro, Attitude, Huffington Post, The Mirror, Yahoo!, Pink News and Express Online, specialising in TV, movies, soaps, music and LGBTQ+ issues. He is also a BAFTA Rocliffe-winning scriptwriter, having written episodes of the soap Hollyoaks, the official Steps musical Here & Now and multiple Offie Award-nominated plays. He studied English Literature and Drama at the University of East Anglia, and will happily talk at length about Desperate Housewives to anyone who'll listen.
