Nadia Sawalha announces the death of her daughters' 'second mum' as their family nanny passes away and says 'I love how much they loved you'

Nadia Sawalha has announced the death of her daughters' 'second mum' and family nanny. 

The Loose Women panellist, 61, said 'I love how much they loved you' as she paid an emotional tribute to Pat - who supported the Sawalha clan for 'over a decade.'

She explained how Pat became like a 'second mum' to her and her husband Mark Adderley's children, Maddie, 23, and Kiki, 18, in the heartfelt post. 

Sharing a series of family photos from over the years, she wrote: 'Pat .. how can I put into words what you meant to this family .. You were our precious girls second mum, a ‘bonus’ Nan.

'The kind of Nan who always had a tissue up her cardi sleeve and a sweetie in her pocket to just make ‘everything ok'.. Our girls adored you. You were their constant, their reliable.

'I never had to worry when I was at work or play because I knew they had someone looking after them that loved them as much as I did.' 

Nadia continued: 'I know many working mums find it difficult when their children love their carer as much as their mum, but I never did. I loved how much they loved you.

'And let’s face it you taught them things I never could, like how to have a tidy room how to put washing IN the actual washing basket instead of on the floor, you taught them how to cross the road SAFELY (whereas I would just scream run!’)

'You taught them how to have patience and how to pair up their socks! You helped them clean out their guinea pig cages week after week..

'They loved playing word search and watching Deal Or No Deal with you ( even though Maddie says she never understood it!)

'They loved how cosy and kind and quiet you were, vital when you think what a noisy brash mama they had. We were the yin and yang mamas in their lives.. (sic)' 

The presenter concluded: 'Pat you weren’t only the girls second mum and friend you were also mine.

'You were such a support to me for over a decade. You were with us almost everyday. We travelled far and wide and we loved you seeing the world with us.

'You will always live in our hearts and mind Pat. Rest now you deserve the most beautiful of rests as you were a damn fine woman and our family was a better one for you being such a big part of it. (sic)' 

In the post's comments section, Nadia's husband Mark added: 'Such a beautiful description of how important she was to the very fibre of our girls. 

'The very foundations of this family, she was a dear dear friend who could banter back at me as fast as anyone I know xxxx.'

It's been a difficult month for Nadia who also lost her close friend Hannah Gardner due to breast cancer. 

The TV personality fought back tears as she paid tribute to her 'brave and selfless' friend on an episode of Loose Women a few weeks ago. 

Hannah, who died in December aged 39, 13 years after first being diagnosed with cancer, had often appeared on the ITV daytime show to speak about her long illness battle. 

Addressing Hannah's death for the first time on TV, Nadia opened up on her memories of her first meeting with her friend on a charity trek. 

Nadia and Hannah had campaigned for life-saving drug Enhertu to be made available on the NHS for women who were battling secondary breast cancer.

The drug, a targeted cancer medication used to shrink tumours and delay the progression of the disease, is not available on the NHS following an assessment of evidence of costs and benefits to patients. 

Last year, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) decided against a greenlight of its use for the 1,000 patients that would benefit from it. 

Hannah had stage four incurable breast cancer, which spread to her liver and Nadia had previously spoken about her friend's situation on ITV's Loose Women.