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Remarkable Renovation star George Clarke's family tragedy and the touching way he paid tribute

The TV star lost someone very close to him back in 2012

george clarke
Eve Crosbie
TV & Film Writer
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George Clarke is one of our favourite TV presenters, and we've been loving his new series George Clarke's Remarkable Renovations which sees him help everyday people breathe new life into unused and unloved buildings across the UK.

MORE: George Clarke celebrates happy family news with his children

But did you know that George experienced a heartbreaking family loss nearly ten years ago? Tragedy struck close to home when George's brother-in-law sadly died - and the way that George paid tribute to him is so touching.

In 2012, the home renovation expert was left devastated after his ex-wife's brother Swiggy Drummond passed away after a short battle with cancer at the age of 59. The two were close friends, with George even referring to him as "the older brother I always wanted".

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Opening up about the tragic events, George told The Evening Standard in 2013: "He had a brain tumour and in classic male fashion he brushed it under the carpet. He didn't realise it was cancer and we didn't realise he had any symptoms for a long time."

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Before his death, Swiggy, who was a former Armani model, had won a ballot place to carry the Olympic torch across Britain as part of the 2012 London Olympics, so in a touching gesture, George took up the mantle and carried the torch through Camden as he would have.

Taking to Twitter afterwards, George penned an emotional tribute to Swiggy. He wrote: "He was supposed to carry it but cancer took him too soon."

George clarke remarkable renos

George Clarke is back on screens for a new series, Remarkable Renovations

It was actually through Swiggy that George met his former wife Catriona, who he married in 2009. The couple struck up a romance in the early 2000s after being introduced by Swiggy after George was hired by him to do some architectural work.

MORE: Inside George Clarke's home life with his wife and children

While they were together, the couple welcomed three children - Georgie, 18, Emilio, 16, and 14-year-old Iona. However, in 2013 George and Catriona announced that they had split due to their hectic work schedules.

George has since married again to a marketing and communications consultant named Katie. The two wed in September 2018 in a romantic ceremony in Ibiza. The happy couple lives with George's children in their West London home.

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