Phillip Schofield announces death of 'magnificent' mum

Phillip Schofield has announced the death of his beloved mum Pat.

The former This Morning star, 62, announced the sad news in a post on Instagram this evening (Monday). Alongside a selection of photos of himself and his mum, Phillip wrote: "Today, at 3pm and after a heartbreaking weekend, my magnificent mum decided it was time to go to her beloved Brian.

"Over three days, we held her, loved her, hugged her and said everything that needed to be said. She was calm, peaceful, beautiful and dignified. I will forever be proud and privileged that she was my mum."

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Phillip added: "Our eternal thanks to the paramedics, Treliske AandE and Critical Care team who have been, in the past and this weekend, my mum's and our angels. Your love and care has been our saviour."

The TV star did not reveal his mother's cause of death, the Mirror reports. Phillip had previously discussed his mother's health woes during his time on a remote island filming Channel 5 series Cast Away, which aired last month.

The former presenter confessed his shock when both his mum and brother were diagnosed with the same serious health condition. Phillip cut ties with his brother Timothy, 54, after he was sentenced to a 12-year prison term last year following his conviction for sexually abusing a vulnerable teenage boy over three years.

However, speaking about his brother in the past, Phillip shared that the "family sat down together" when Timothy and their mother, Pat, were both diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes within a six-month period.

In a chat with Health Awareness, Phillip disclosed: "My brother and mother are both Type 1 diabetics and have been for the last 25 years, so it is something that as a family we are very used to. If either of them have a hypo (a Hypoglycaemic episode which occurs when blood glucose levels drop, usually below 4 mmol/L), we can recognise the signs and we know what to do. My Mum goes particularly bonkers when she goes low, so when she starts talking nonsense we know what's happening."

He continued: "My brother was first to be diagnosed and he had an unquenchable thirst for fizzy drink, which was very unlike him. That continued for a few days, he was acting completely out of character. So we took him to the doctors and he was very quickly diagnosed. Then six months later my mum was diagnosed in the same way."

Phillip opened up about the unexpected diabetes diagnosis in his family, saying: "My brother was very young at the time of diagnosis, probably in his late teens. He had always been very healthy and active. He is also seven years younger than me so it was a shock, as far as we were aware there was no history of the disorder in the family."

Type 1 diabetes is a condition that leads to high blood glucose levels and occurs when insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar, cannot be produced by the body. It differs from type 2 diabetes in that it's not associated with excess weight and necessitates regular medication.