TOWIE: What was Nanny Pat's cause of death? Tearful tribute in 10-year special

The Only Way Is Essex has been entertaining viewers for a decade now, and so ITV thought it time to celebrate with a special retrospective episode.

On Sunday, September 6th, ITVBe aired TOWIE Turns 10: All Back to Essex – a special one-off looking back at some of the show’s most memorable moments and cast members. This airs one week before season 26 returns to ITVBe every Sunday. The new season was intended to air earlier this year in March 2020, however the coronavirus pandemic put a stop to filming. New episodes will start from Sunday, September 13th.

In the TOWIE Turns 10 special, viewers were reminded of the tragic loss of Nanny Pat.

Who was Nanny Pat?

Patricia Joan Brooker, or “Nanny Pat” as she was known on the show, was the mother of Carol Wright. Carol is the mother of TOWIE stars Mark and Jessica Wright, as well as her two other children, footballer Josh and influencer Natalya.

Nanny Pat was born in St Andrew’s Hospital in Bromley-by-Bow, London on November 21st, 1935. Over the years, Nanny Pat worked in a variety of jobs as we learnt on the show. Some of the roles she worked in include a factory worker, the landlady of a pub, a dinner lady, and working in a newsagent. It was only when Mark Wright joined the cast of TOWIE that Nanny Pat became a reality TV star.

She passed away at the age of 80 on December 16th, 2015.

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Nanny Pat: Cause of death

A spokesperson for the Wright family released a short statement at the time of Nanny Pat’s passing. They said: “Sadly our amazing, courageous and beautiful Nanny Pat passed away this morning after a short illness. We are overwhelmed by sadness, and the whole family ask for privacy at this horrible time.”

Nanny Pat was at her 80th birthday celebrating in style just three weeks before her passing. This means it’s likely that any illness Pat had was unexpected and brief.

Her funeral was held on January 8th, 2016 at South Essex Crematorium in Uxbridge.

TOWIE remembers Nanny Pat

In the TOWIE Turns 10 special, the ITV team paid tribute to the loss of Nanny Pat. They aired clips from her final scenes on the reality show, which was of her glamorous 80th birthday party. Pat’s granddaughter Jess sang Adele’s hit cover of “Make You Feel My Love,” and her daughter Carol Wright made an emotional speech.

Viewers of the TOWIE Turns 10 special were all moved by the Nanny Pat tribute, many taking to Twitter to share their emotions.

One viewer tweeted: “The Nanny Pat scene though… an angel”

Another said “[I’m an] absolute emotional wreck nanny pat was a legend,” with others calling the tribute “so beautiful.”