Carol McGiffin’s sister has passed away after a short battle with cancer.
It was only last month that the 56-year-old revealed that her younger sibling Tracy was diagnosed with the disease a year after Carol was given the all clear from breast cancer.
The former Loose Women star wrote in her Best magazine column: “When my little sister, Tracy, was diagnosed four months ago, it didn’t seem real.
“I knew she was going to die, but I kind of hoped that it would be later… like, years away.
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“Now, when I find myself saying the words, ‘My sister died last weekend,’ it still doesn’t seem real.
“Perhaps because it hasn’t properly sunk in yet, or that I’m just not ready to believe it.”
Back in December of last year Carol, who underwent 15 doses of radiotherapy told Best magazine: “Cancer is scary, but I don’t see the point of getting emotional about it.
“So when my sister, Tracy, found a lump in her left breast – just like mine – three months ago, I said, ‘Right – we’ll find out what the treatment is, deal with it, and you’ll be fine’.
“But she wasn’t fine. I think, deep down, Tracy knew it was bad news.”
It turned out that her cancer was metastatic, which means that it had already spread from her lung to her spine, brain, liver and, then her breast.
Their mother Heather also died of cancer 13 years ago.
When comparing her late mother and Tracy, Carol recently said that the two of them were really similar.
Reminiscing about her favourite moments with Tracy, she adds that her shock diagnosis brought them closer together.
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Carol says that she was so grateful that she got to share her last four months together and went out for days at the seaside, went shopping and had pub lunches.
Heartbreakingly signing off on her column, she wrote: “RIP, sis. I’m missing you already, you nightmare. xxx”