Grieving Scott Thomas has vowed not to ‘spiral out of control’ following his father Dougie James’ death last week.
It was revealed in the early hours of Saturday morning, that the Seventies music legend, lead singer of Dougie James And The Soul Train and the father of Scott, his twin Adam and their older brother Ryan, had passed away aged 72.
Taking to Instagram on Friday, the Love Island star, 32, gave a brave speech to his 917k followers, as he thanked fans for their support, detailed the time he lived with his dad shortly before his death and gushed about being lucky to have his father.
Tough times: Grieving Scott Thomas has vowed not to ‘spiral out of control’ following his father Dougie James’ death last week
Scott took to Instagram to pay tribute to his father and also speak to fans about how he was coping with his grief and his determination to stay strong.
He said: ‘I wanted to first of all thank everyone for the lovely messages for me and the boys, it means a lot. I’m OK, I know a lot of people are worried about me… It’s just a very sad time and anyone who loses their dad knows how sad it is…
‘But at the same time, I’m OK, I’m strong and I’m going to use this pain to drive me forward and channel it in the right way.’
Scott then made his determined vow, saying: ‘I’m not going to spiral out of control. I’ve been back trying to train… at the same time I’m going to take some time for myself as well because I know how important it is to get that space.’
‘So proud’: It was revealed in the early hours of Saturday morning, that the Seventies music legend, lead singer of Dougie James And The Soul Train and the father of Scott, his twin Adam and their older brother Ryan, had passed away aged 72
He revealed that his father had lived with him prior to his passing, saying: ‘I’m just really grateful for the time I got with my dad…
‘I had the most amazing six months with him living under my roof. We had the best time ever and I’m just so grateful and I just can’t believe how lucky I am to have had him there with me and I cherished every moment…
‘Make sure you take that time for your family, make sure you keep them close, that’s my biggest lesson from this.’
In 2019 Adam, Scott and former Coronation Street star Ryan headed to India with their father for an ITV documentary, Mancs In Mumbai, where they explored their heritage for a six-part series.
Moving: Dougie split from the boys’ mum when the twins were born – leading to a bitter divorce, and the family explored their feelings about his absence on the show (pictured: Dougie with his sons L-R, Ryan, Adam and Scott Thomas)
Dougie split from the boys’ mum when the twins were born – leading to a bitter divorce, and the family explored their feelings about his absence on the show.
Earlier in the week, Scott spoke again about how his father had spent the final months of his life living with him during the national lockdown.
He added: ‘I can’t believe how truly lucky I was to have him living with me these last 6 months. We’ve made up for so much lost time and shared so many little special memories.
‘I would just watch him from across the room watching his old black and white movies and just be in awe of him. From dancing around the kitchen to deep chats I just can’t tell you how lucky I feel to have had that time.’
Scott also shared a few details about how his father was feeling and said Dougie always managed to stay positive and tell jokes.
He wrote: ‘My dad told me he had the best life and wouldn’t change a single thing. This might sound sad but he said he was happy for his time to be up and just didn’t enjoy being old.
Honour: Adam’s twin brother Scott – a former Love Island contestant – also paid a moving tribute to his father following his death over the weekend
‘So as heartbreaking as it is that he’s gone I know it’s what he wanted deep down. He was just very tired. Saying that, even that morning when I last saw him he was on top form as always cracking jokes with that amazing sick sense of humour of his.
‘He always chose laughter for tears.
He finished the statement, saying: ‘My Dad will live on through me, Adam and Ryan. The legacy he has created will shine on through us and the Thomas’s for many, many years to come.