17/10/2026
24 years ago today, we lost one of the biggest role models in my life. My Auntie Julie 💛
She was just 42. A mum to three beautiful children, a wife, and someone who had so much more life left to live.
I was only 17 when we lost her, but the impact she had on my life has stayed with me ever since.
She was like a second mam to me. The fun auntie. The one I could talk to about anything. The one I absolutely idolised and respected so much.
I remember once breaking one of her plates playing the chocolate game and being terrified of what she’d say.
She couldn’t have been less bothered! 😂
She took me to Centre Parcs on their family trip, loved coming into our room in the mornings after we’d been out wanting to know the crack, and conveniently turned a blind eye when she knew I was getting my belly button pierced!
She was kind, caring, funny and probably sick of me being at her house all the bloody time!
But I just loved being around her.
Auntie Julie was a huge part of our family. We all adored her. And 24 years later, we still talk about her with such fond memories.
And now, at 41 myself, I realise just how heartbreakingly young she was.
I’ve never really spoken about Auntie Julie on here before, but today I wanted to share her with you.
You don’t have to be somebody’s mum, wife or even their auntie to have a huge impact on their life.
Auntie Julie was all those things, but what made her so special to me wasn’t a title. It was who she was and how she made me feel.
She probably never realised the influence she was having on that little girl forever hanging around her house.
Yet here I am, 24 years later, still laughing about those memories and still looking up to her.
We might not have the lives or roles we once imagined, but that doesn’t mean we can’t mean the absolute world to somebody else.
I hope I can have even a fraction of the impact Auntie Julie had on me.
We miss her terribly. We always will.
Love you always, Auntie Julie ❤️
Xx
