AJ Pritchard pens tribute to his late grandmother Angela as he and brother Curtis attend her funeral

AJ Pritchard and his brother Curtis attended their late grandmother Angela’s funeral on Monday.

The I’m A Celebrity star, 26, shared an emotional tribute to his Nanna following her passing last month after a battle with dementia, he also posted photos alongside his brother, 24, as well as snaps and videos of the matriarch over the years.

In his poignant Instagram post, AJ wrote: ‘Nanna RIP. 93 years young… Nanna found great pleasure in making everyone feel happy. 

‘Whether that be making sure you had a cuppa tea in one hand or making sure you were sat down & warm in the house.

‘Whilst I never talked about my job with Nanna ; it always brought me great pleasure that Nanna would describe this person on the television that danced. 

‘She would go on to say that he looks just like you, sounds like you, he even has the same name as you, & Nanna would read about him in the newspaper all the time. This will always be a treasured memory of mine.’

Trying to remain positive, he added: ‘You can shed tears that she is gone or you can smile because she has lived. You can remember her & only that she’s gone or you can cherish her memory & let it live on.

‘You can cry & close your mind, be empty & turn your back or you can do what she would want: smile, open your eyes, love & go on.

‘Dear Nana we really miss you, & wish with us, you’d always be, but since God wants you too, I’ll keep your memories alive in me. Love you Xx’

AJ looked sombre alongside Curtis who held up a pink flower in photos from the funeral, and the brothers comforted each other while wearing masks for the service. 

The TV personality learned of his grandmother’s passing after his stint on I’m A Celebrity, and sources close to AJ told MailOnline earlier this month that Angela’s tragic death ‘came at the worst time’.

On their close relationship, an insider told MailOnline: ‘When AJ finds out about his grandmother he is going to be heartbroken. 

‘His grandmother meant the world to him and was one of the guiding forces behind him wanting to take up dance. He’s always always wanted to make her proud.

‘This will be very difficult news for him to come out to. The timing of it really couldn’t be worse. You go on to a show like this wanting to make the people you love proud. The last thing you expect to come out to is news of a death. 

‘AJ will want to make this count and make sure this time away from his family when they need him the most. Will not have been in vain. To come out now would be a bigger blow.’

AJ’s brother Curtis confirmed their beloved Nan had passed with a post on Instagram, which said she had helped him to become the man he is today and ‘words cannot describe how much I love you.’