Loose Women presenter Nadia Sawalha has shared a touching tribute to her late friend Hannah Gardner, who has passed away from a difficult breast cancer battle. On Sunday (December 28), the ITV star was left utterly heartbroken following the passing of her friend, who she describes as a "daughter", admitting that she has been left "shocked and distraught". Announcing the sad news in a lengthy post online, she wrote: "Rest in peace now, darling.

"Our beautiful Hannah... Although we knew it was coming, we are all so deeply shocked and distraught. No need to be brave anymore darling you can now rest in peace and all the love you created. You were and will forever be deeply loved..."

She added: "To all the staff at The Princess Alice Hospice in Esher, the kindness and care you showed not only to Hannah, but also to her friends and family was extraordinary. Thank you."

In October last year, Nadia - who recently opened up on her own health battle - shared that Hannah was taking part in a clinical trial of Enheru, which she said was working well, but not fast enough, which allowed the cancer to spread.

Although she completed the trial, Nadia was leading a desperate effort to raise £150,000 to fund a legal appeal that would enable the NHS to roll out the game-changing cancer drug.

It's estimated to cost approximately £10,000 per patient per year in the US, where it is available to cancer patients. Hannah, who met the Loose Women star during a Coppafeel trek, lived with cancer for the past 12 years before she lost her battle with the disease.

Speaking about her close bond with Hannah, Nadia previously told The Sun: "Hannah is my daughter, that's the way I think of it. That's the way I've always felt about her.

"From the first day I met her, when we were climbing the Himalayas for CoppaFeel!, I felt this unbelievable strength. Her father was Iraqi. Her father died of liver cancer, actually, last year.

"Her father is Iraqi, and her mother is Irish. And so we have a similar mix, you know, and there's just something just genetic about us that just connected. And so I fight like she's my daughter."

Back in March, Nadia admitted that she was concerned about Hannah's daughter, Lila Ray, who had been diagnosed with autism. She said at the time: "Hannah's deepest wish is to secure Lila's future - specialist care, therapy, and a safety net to ease the road ahead."

Things became more concerning for the family when Hannah's husband, who works as a firefighter, feared he might have to leave his job to become a full-time carer for their daughter.