Emmerdale star Lisa Riley, who plays force of nature Mandy Dingle in the soap, has used her Instagram to post a touching tribute to her mum Cath, who died 10 years ago.

Alongside a photo showing a framed picture of a happily smiling Cath, with the picture surrounded by candles and a vase of pink and white flowers, Lisa has written a heartfelt message about the woman she calls ‘My forever Angel.’

‘My BELOVED Mum Cath, lost her battle with cancer ten years ago today, the pain, as I write this, is as raw as it was back then. You’ve heard it said many many times, “it gets easier with time” does it??? The biggest hole is in my heart always, because my Mum was so unique, so funny, so compassionate, so caring, unbelievably happy, so giving with her time, to EVERYONE,’ she says.

Lisa thanks her family for supporting her through her grief, saying, ‘You hold me up, on the days I’m down and really emotional, you all keep me laughing, because you know thats how I deal with things best.’

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And she reaches out to other people who may be grieving after the loss of a loved one: ‘May anyone else feeling REAL grief today, read this, and find someone close whom they can talk to, as talking and expressing your inner feelings, helps. It really does, and I say this with truth and honesty.’

The message has struck a chord with many, with people talking about their own losses, agreeing with Lisa that the pain doesn’t get easier.

Lisa’s Emmerdale co-star Fiona Wade, who plays Priya Sharma, has responded, ‘Sending big love to you darling ❤️❤️❤️Xxxx’ while Tracy Beaker star Dani Harmer adds, ‘Sending you all my love 💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛’ Dani and Lisa have been friends since they competed in Strictly Come Dancing in 2012.

Following Lisa’s post about her mum, she was back on Instagram the following day to thank people for their support and for sharing their stories.

‘I wanted you all to know how it helped, especially the volume of people suffering exactly the same, so it proves when you are suffering, it’s good to share. THANK YOU again.’

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