Jedward lose mum to cancer battle: 'You shaped the character of who we are'

Jedward have announced their mum has died after a long battle with cancer.

Singing duo John and Edward Grimes, who rose to fame on The X Factor, posted the sad news on their official Twitter account on Friday morning.

Alongside two photos of them with their late mum Susanna, they wrote: “Rest In Peace Mammy. You live on through us. We will miss you and your smile.

“You shaped the character of who we are. Mammy lived with cancer for many years but was always full of life! You live on in our Memories and will always be alive in our Hearts.”

Susanna worked as her sons’ band manager for many years, in a career which took the duo to the popular ITV show and then to Eurovision later on.

The twins, 27, came sixth on the show after being mentored by Irish judge Louis Walsh.

They later released a debut single which saw Vanilla Ice’s Ice Ice Baby and David Bowie hit Under Pressure mashed together.

Susanna was vocal in her support for John and Edward, leaping to their defence when Coleen Nolan branded them “irritating” while in the Celebrity Big Brother house in 2017.

Phoning in to speak to Rylan Clark on Bit On The Side, Susanna said: “Jedward are not irritating. In the midst of ferocious arguing in the house, sure, Jedward are being themselves and bringing good vibes.

“Jedward have been stereotyped, verbally abused and shouted down, and have not been able to explain themselves.”

Susanna is survived by her husband John Grimes Snr and three sons John, Edward and Kevin.