Sophie Gradon and Aaron Armstrong were planning their wedding before their shocking deaths
The tragic couple Sophie Gradon and Aaron Armstrong were in the process of planning their wedding before their shocking deaths within weeks of each other. Aaron had discovered his 'Love Island' star girlfriend's lifeless body in a bedroom in her parent's house on June 20 before he passed away on July 10, just five days after her funeral.
On May 29, just a few weeks before tragedy struck, he had taken to social media to share that the couple was in the process of planning their wedding. One of their friends, Kalvin, commented on Aaron's post which announced his relationship with Sophie and wrote, "When's the wedding? I'm looking forward to it". Aaron responded to this saying, "We are planning".
Sophie also joined in on the post and hinted that Kalvin was the one who had actually got the pair together and called him "matchmaker of the year". Aaron also agreed to this and added, "I know this is all down to you, Kalvin Banks, you star... haha," before adding a shot of the pink drink that they were celebrating with.
Sophie Gradon passed away while she was at her parent's house in Medburn, Northumberland that she was house-sitting while her parents were on holiday.
The ex-Miss Great Britain was only 32 years old when she passed away and had starred in the 2016 series of the ITV2 show. She had coupled up with Thomas Powell before becoming the show's first ever same-sex pairing with Katie Salmon.
On July 10, 2018, the police confirmed that Aaron had also been found dead. A Northumbria Police spokesman shared, "At around 12.20pm on July 10, police received a report from the ambulance service that a 25-year-old man had been found deceased at a property on Furnace Road in Bebside, Blyth. There is not believed to be any third party involvement and a report will now be prepared for the coroner".
Aaron had allegedly battled with mental illness for around 10 years and had also tried to take his life around four years ago. On July 2, he took to Instagram to share that he would be seeing Sophie again "very soon". "I just wish I could cuddle you all day. miss you so much, man. Sophie, not a minute goes by without your gorgeous smile being a picture in my mind," he wrote before adding, "Everyday we spent together was so amazing. I need them days back, I love you, princess [sic]".
It is no secret that the death of his loved one really threw his life off balance and Aaron struggled a lot after Sophie's tragic death. There were also many signs that he was in a bad place after her death.
Recently, Aaron shared a picture of a memorial that he had placed in memory of Sophie on the top of a hill. There was a picture of her as well as some flowers that were placed in a pot which read, "In loving memory". He also shared, "After a massive meltdown yesterday, I took Sophie for a dive and stuck her on a mountain as high as I could so you can have as much zen as u need baby girl and the view is amazing hope u love it I will come see u every day my angel I LOVE YOU smiler [sic]".
In a second post of the view, he continued, "You will love this place don’t worry your at my bedside table to so u are always in arms reach kiss u every night tell u I love u every night you absolute diamond ps sorry for my huge break Dow the past 2 days I’m sure u know the reason y and I know u will be screaming but don’t worry I promise you I will be there I give u my word and I never brake my word it’s me and you baby till the end remember we are ONE!!!!!!! [sic]"
Aaron also shared a short video clip which shows him and Sophie together while they were at a club. She was seen standing next to him before she bends down to give him a kiss on his lips. Aaron wrote, "One kiss was all it took for us to fall so deeply in love miss u angel I can smell you everywhere mostly in my bed where u lay beside me a give me the most amazing snuggles ever and let out your little giggles and show them gorgeous dimples [sic]".
He was also very candid about how much he was missing Sophie and, alongside a picture of her, he wrote, "Today is the day I say my goodbye to my queen this is the hardest day of my life I love you so much and just want to hold u tight and give u a big kiss I miss you so so much you will shine so bright up there my angel rest in peace beautiful see u on the other side [sic]".
Friends and loved ones of Aaron had been very concerned about him and took to sending him words and messages of encouragement. One friend told him, "try and keep your head above water, you will have good and bad days but always remember that she will always be by your side!" While another added, "you are so strong and u have a beautiful heart of pure gold. sophie is watching down on you and looking after you, she always will love you and she is so proud of you. stay strong [sic]".