Inbetweeners’ starlet Emily Atack has a sad connection to the iconic kids’ programme, Teletubbies.
A Reddit user dropped a bombshell with a homage to stars from legendary British telly series, highlighting which celebs are still with us. The tribute kicked off with the ‘Only Fools and Horses’ crew, then onto ‘Vicar of Dibley’ with Dawn French (who’s still kicking), followed by ‘Father Ted’, ‘Black Adder’, ‘Fawlty Towers’ and the ‘Teletubbies’.
In the montage, the late legends were marked in monochrome, while the living legends popped in full colour. But jaws hit the floor when fans spotted Tinky Winky shaded out. One baffled fan blurted out: “Tinky winky is dead? ”
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While another was flabbergasted, posting: “This is how I’m finding out Tinky Winky is dead. I’m the one that started the post last Friday about the dead Uk celebs and no one thought to tell me that MF Tinky Winky is dead! ! ! ! ?”
As the shockwaves hit, someone shared the Wikipedia page of Simon Shelton Barnes the man behind Tinky Winky and uncle to Emily Atack leaving another fan to exclaim: “Emily Atack’s uncle was Tinky Winky? ? Learn something new every day.”
The world of children’s telly icon Simon Shelton Barnes was turned upside down when he sadly passed away in 2018, just days after celebrating his 52nd birthday. Barnes, who slipped into the suit to play Tinky Winky in the Teletubbies from 1998 until 2001, tragically keeled over in a Liverpool car park and succumbed to hypothermia, leaving fans heartbroken.
(Image: BBC)
The boys in blue at Merseyside Police have stated that there was “no suspicious circumstances” related to his untimely death. Simon, kin to Poldark heavyweight Robert Daws and top-notch Inbetweeners star Emily Atack, once bragged that starring in the Teletubbies made him feel like one of the Beatles or Take That due to its smashing success. He revealed: “We used to receive a lot of fan mail from children and parents.”
At the tragic time of his passing, niece Emily Atack paid her respects to her “wonderful” uncle with a touching tribute on Instagram, posting his black and white mug shot for her legions of followers. She penned: “My wonderful uncle Simon Barnes has been taken from us all so suddenly. The kindest and most talented man you could ever wish to meet. Loved by all who knew him, and will be forever. X.”
Meanwhile, Emily, famed for her role as the flirty Charlotte Hinchcliffe in the Channel 4 hit The Inbetweeners, had plenty to celebrate recently as she welcomed little Barney into the world this past June with brainy beau Dr Alistair Garner.
The starlet hit up Instagram to spill the beans on her bundle of joy, posting a super cute snap of the tot. Emily, who was buzzing when she first dropped the baby bombshell last December, gushed over her new arrival in a touching Insta message, confessing to her followers that her “dreams have come true”.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
