Former Blue Peter presenter Simon Thomas 'crushed' after wife's sudden death

Former Blue Peter presenter, Simon Thomas has revealed that his wife Gemma has sadly died just three days after she was diagnosed with leukaemia.

The Sky Sports Anchor tweeted that he was 'crushed with indescribable pain' following the death of his 40-year-old wife.

The dad-of-one confirmed that she passed away 'surrounded by family and friends' and that their eight-year-old son, Ethan was heartbroken.

Taking to Twitter, the grief-stricken husband shared the heartbreaking news with his 161k followers.

The poignant post read: 'Today I am crushed with indescribable pain.

'Just three days after falling ill with Acute Myloid Leukaemia, my dear wife Gemma passed away yesterday evening surrounded by her family and friends.

'If you are a prayer - pray for my boy Ethan. 8yrs, precious and in bits. Thank you.'

Leading up to his wife's diagnosis, Simon told the Daily Mirror that Gemma has felt unwell and was told to take tablets and rest after visiting the GP three times.

But she continued to feel unwell and was taken to hospital, where she was diagnosed just 12 hours after her last visit to the doctor.

The paper reports that Gemma started chemotherapy and was initially responding well, but her condition worsened and Simon was told two days later that she had just hours to live.

In a heartbreaking picture caption on his Instagram page, Simon wrote: 'Team Thomas. Three has become two. Heartbroken and suffocating with grief.'

The image showed the 44-year-old with his wife and young son, standing on the edge of a lake with the sun setting over the trees.

Talking to the Mirror Online, Simon said that the couple's grief-stricken son Ethan, aged eight, has said all he wants for Christmas this year is his 'mummy back'.

It is believed that approximately 3,100 people a year in the UK are diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia - a type of blood cancer.