Sophie Gradon's boyfriend pays heartbreaking tribute to 'Love Island' star on her funeral day
Mourning the loss of a loved one is an extremely long and difficult process and former ‘Love Island’ star Sophie Hannah Gradon's boyfriend Aaron Armstrong still seems to be coping with the death of his girlfriend. On Thursday, he took to Instagram to express his sentiments — the day of her funeral.
Accompanied by a picture of Sophie’s order of service, he wrote, “I love you with all my heart, my beautiful angel. I’m absolutely heartbroken. I can’t stop crying and I can feel your spirit in my soul. RIP Sophie Hannah Gradon.” Sophie's funeral was conducted at St George’s Church in Jesmond, Newcastle in a private ceremony.
Aaron's fans showed their support by flooding the comments section with extremely heart-warming messages. One commented, “What an excruciating pain, but you are strong! It will get a place. Take the time you need.”
Another wrote, “I know you won’t see this, but I know it’s hard, and it hurts, and you feel like the pain will go on forever, but things will get better and easier. Sophie will live on in your hearts, in everyone’s hearts, she inspired me so much and I think she inspired a lot of people. You just need to hold your head up and keep a brave face, it’s okay to cry as well though. Just let it out if that’s what you need but I’m sure she’s watching down on you, all the way. Stay strong, she’ll be so proud of you for how strong you’re being. Xx”
TV presenter Matt Johnson, who also attended the funeral, expressed his emotions on social media too. He posted a picture of Sophie’s order of service and captioned it, “My heart is broken for anyone that suffers. Things must change.”
Aaron also paid his respects to his late girlfriend on a mountain top with an adorable gesture. He placed a potted plant with a photograph of Sophie tucked into it on a mountain top. He even packaged the picture in a ziploc to possibly protect it from bad weather and dirt. The pot had the words “In loving memory” written on it. He shared this moment with his fans on Instagram.
With a picture of the plant, he wrote, “After a massive melt down 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.”
Of course, his fans were completely moved by this act. They made sure to share comforting words with him to help him get through this difficult time. One wrote, "Absolutely beautiful idea, a lovely sign of respect. I can tell you put so much thought and effort into that. She will always be with you, Aaron, you're doing her proud."
The ‘Love Island’ star was found dead on June 20 in her parent’s house reported Mirror. At the time of her death, Northumbria police released a statement saying: “At about 8.27pm yesterday (June 20) police attended a property in Medburn, Ponteland, where sadly a 32-year-old woman was found deceased. There are not believed to be any suspicious circumstances surrounding her death. A report will now be prepared for the coroner."
Though official reports say that there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of the beautiful reality television star, The Sun reported that her death is suspected to be a suicide, considering she was dealt with serious anxiety after she left the show.
In 2016, Sophie left the villa voluntarily, admitting to Metro that she wasn’t enjoying her time on the show anymore. Weeks after Sophie left the ‘Love Isalnd’ villa, a fan asked her if she would ever go back to the show, she replied, “God, I don't know. It was the most stressed/anxious/f***ed up I've ever been in my life!"
In April of this year, she also took to Twitter to reflect on her feelings. She tweeted, "Catching up with so many friends and going so many places feels so good! Thinking back to when I became a total recluse, afraid to go out anywhere because of crippling anxiety and how different my life is now!!! Facing up to your fears is sometimes the hardest but most rewarding thing!"
Back in 2016, Sophie made history on ‘Love Island’ by being the first openly bisexual contestant on the show. Before she left the villa, she was a part of the only same-sex couple to be featured on the show, coupling up with Katie Salmon.
