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Matt Campbell: Masterchef star's tragic final tweet before he collapsed and died during hottest ever London Marathon

At the starting point: Matt Campbell with co-runner Tom Peters: Twitter
At the starting point: Matt Campbell with co-runner Tom Peters: Twitter

A Masterchef competitor who died after collapsing during the London Marathon was today hailed as “an inspiration” by his running partner.

Matt Campbell, 29, collapsed 22.5 miles into the hottest London Marathon on record. He was treated at the scene before being taken to hospital but was later pronounced dead.

Hours earlier, he had shared a photo of himself with Tom Peters, his fellow former competitor on the BBC’s Masterchef: The Professionals, with whom he was running.

The image was captioned “Let’s do this!!” alongside a fist bump emoji and was posted to his thousands of Twitter followers.

Mr Peters, who appeared alongside Mr Campbell on the BBC show last December, today led tributes to his friend.

Final tweet: Matt Campell with co-runner Tom Peters (Twitter)
Final tweet: Matt Campell with co-runner Tom Peters (Twitter)

He wrote on Instagram: “Matt, feel so blessed to of shared so much with you in a short amount of time, words can’t describe how we’re all feeling at this time.

“You were an inspiration to so many in so many different ways, the world has lost a star and we’ve all lost a brother! RIP.”

Mr Peters also appealed for people to donate to Mr Campbell’s fundraising page, which had raised more than £30,000 within hours of the tragic news of his death being announced.

He had been running the race for childrens’ charity the Brathay Trust and in memory of his father Martin, who died suddenly 18 months ago.

Marcus Wareing, the celebrity chef and a judge on MasterChef: The Professionals, also paid tribute to Mr Campbell, who was from the Lake District.

He said: “It is with huge sadness that I received the news of Matt Campbell's untimely death earlier today. He was a talented, innovative and driven chef with a bright future ahead of him. My thoughts are with his friends & family at this tragic time.”

Mr Campbell started his career in Michelin-starred kitchens and finished second on BBC Young Chef of the Year, aged 20, in 2009. On his website he had announced a UK roadshow for this year, was planning a cookbook and was set to film for a TV pilot.

The temperature at St James’s Park reached 24.1C, the highest since the Marathon was first run in 1981. About 100 runners were taken to hospital to be treated for serious heat-related conditions. The Marathon’s medical chief, Professor Sanjay Sharma, spoke of his team’s battle to treat “very seriously ill” runners who collapsed.

A spokeswoman for the London Marathon said earlier: “With deep sadness, we confirm the death of a participant. Everyone involved in the organisation of the London Marathon would like to express our sincere condolences to Matt’s family and friends.”

Matt Campbell during his stint on Masterchef: The Professionals (BBC)
Matt Campbell during his stint on Masterchef: The Professionals (BBC)

MasterChef added in a statement: “We are shocked and saddened to hear the news about Matt Campbell, one of our talented contestants from last year.

“It was a privilege to have him on the show. He will always be remembered for producing for some of the most innovative and groundbreaking food that we saw on the series.

“From the whole MasterChef team, our sincere condolences and thoughts are with his family and friends.”

To donate to Mr Campbell’s charity visit: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/mattcampbell-londonmarathon