Strictly family support Emma Weymouth as she announces father-in-law has died from coronavirus

It was a sad day for Emma Weymouth on Sunday as she announced the death of her father-in-law, Alexander Thynn, 7th Marquess of Bath. The former Strictly Come Dancing contestant took to Instagram to release a statement about the sad passing and was soon inundated with messages of support from all her celebrity friends.

The post read: "It is with the deepest sadness that I share the news that my father in law, Lord Bath, has died at the age of 87. Alexander Thynn, 7th Marquess of Bath, passed away on Saturday, 4th April. He was admitted to the Royal United Hospital in Bath on 28th March where it was confirmed he had the coronavirus." She added: "We would like to express their great appreciation for the dedicated team of nurses, doctors and other staff who cared so professionally and compassionately for Alexander in these extremely difficult times for everyone."

Emma Weymouth and her husband

Her Strictly friends were the first to react with Stacey Dooley and Nadiya Bychkova commenting with red heart emojis. Karen Hauer wrote: "sending you and your family our deepest condolences," whilst Emma Barton commented: "So sorry Emma & family."

Chris Ramsey, Alex Scott, Janette Manrara and Jamie Laing also reacted. Other celebrities to send their well-wishes included Kirsty Gallacher, Erin O'Connor and Pixie Lott.

Lord Bath passed away at the age of 87

Emma's father-in-law, Lord Bath, made many television appearances, most recently in 2014 when he featured on All Changes at Longleat, a three-part documentary that focused on him passing the running of Longleat Estate to his son Ceawiln and daughter-in-law Emma. He continued to live at Longleat House, based in Wiltshire, in a separate wing to his son and daughter-in-law. The 9,000 acre estate is where the first safari park outside of Africa, Longleat safari park, is located, and is home to many exotic animals including lions, giraffes and monkeys, and is open to the public.

Just a few weeks before Lord Bath's tragic death, Emma had shared a video from Longleat of her young children, Henry and John, clapping for the NHS carers who are working tirelessly to help fight coronavirus.