Lisa Armstrong paid a touching tribute to her dad on the first anniversary of his death.
Derek was 71 when he lost his battle with cancer in May 2019 while Lisa was in the middle of her divorce proceedings.
The Strictly Come Dancing make up artist, who is the ex-wife of Ant McPartlin shared a snap of her dad to her Instagram page alongside a heartfelt message which melted the hearts of her followers.
Lisa, 43, described Derek as her “hero” in her gushing message.
She penned: “I can’t believe one year has passed, it still seems so unreal…
Lisa described dad Derek as her hero
“Not a day goes by that I don’t miss you, your smile, your laugh, encouragement & most of all your love… Will always be Daddy’s girl…
“My heart broke this day last year… RIP… MY DAD MY HERO.”
Celebrity pals and fans instantly flocked to the comment section to share their condolences, with EastEnders actress Emma Barton adding a simple heart.
Comedian Alan Carr commented: “Sending you such a big hug, thinking of you today.”
The makeup artist hid Derek’s battle with cancer following his diagnosis (Image: Instagram)
While one fan added: “Sending you a big hug, been thinking of you.”
It was reported by The Sun that Lisa was at her father’s bedside with her mum, Linda, in the family home at the time of his passing.
Lisa had kept Derek’s battle with cancer a secret while she went through her bitter divorce battle with television presenter Ant McPartlin.
At the time of Derek’s passing, a source close to Lisa revealed to The Sun: “A lot of people think Lisa is strong, and she is – but she’s had so much to cope with since she and Ant split up.
“There’s been one thing after another and at times she’s felt on her knees.
“But she’s kept it together and ploughed on.”
Ant and Lisa announced in January 2018 that they were divorcing after 12 years of marriage.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
