Who was Tara Palmer-Tomkinson? It Girl, I’m A Celebrity runner-up and sister of Santa Montefiore dead at 45
FORMER IT girl Tara Palmer-Tomkinson died on February 8 at the age of 45, five days after a loud bang was heard inside her flat.
The brunette model became a household name after crossing the line from aristocratic society into celebrity culture, equally at home mingling with the Royals or appearing on reality shows.
Following the news of her death, there have been many tributes from fellow celebrities as well as fans reliving their favourite anecdotes which showcased her unique character.
Tara found fame after penning details of her extravagant party girl lifestyle in The Sunday Times – but what else do we know?
Who was Tara Palmer-Tomkinson?
Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, 45, known to her fans as T P-T, was an English socialite, TV presenter and model whose life has been regularly followed and publicised.
The star was born in Hampshire to Olympic skier Charles Palmer-Tomkinson and wife Patricia in 1971.
When she was a school girl, she dreamed of being a concert pianist, or to ride in the Grand National, but she quickly fell down other paths.
After leaving school, the kooky posh girl briefly worked in the City of London for Rothschilds bank before she grew in fame through her weekly columns.
In the 1990s, Tara held regular columns in publications such as The Sunday Times, The Spectator, The Mail on Sunday, GQ and Tatler, which featured her weekly activities.
She became one of the first celebrities to develop their own ‘brand’, with her newspaper exposure, book deals and then TV appearances.
It later was revealed that ghost writer Wendy Holden was responsible for her Sunday Times column after weekly phone-ins with the star.
Becoming one of the most familiar socialite faces, Tara was regularly pictured at parties and night clubs.
With a bottomless bank account and impressive royal connections, Tara Palmer-Tomkinson quickly became the ultimate nineties It Girl.
How did Tara Palmer-Tomkinson die?
The cause of Tara's death was confirmed by her sister Sarah Montefiore, who took to Twitter to reveal the details of a coroner’s report which found the socialite had developed peritonitis before she died at the age of 45 earlier this month.
It was previously suspected that the former IT girl had been suffering from a brain tumour, however sister Sarah stated: “I’ve been so touched by the warm response to Tara ’s death. Thank you from the whole family. But I’d like to clarify a couple of points.
“Today the coroner’s report states that Tara died of natural causes – a perforated ulcer. She did not have a brain tumour.”
What were Tara Palmer-Tomkinson’s royal connections?
Tara had a lot of friends in high places, thanks to her family’s relationship with the Royal Family.
Her parents are close to the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall and the starlet was one of the attendees at the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.
Charles and Camilla released a statement soon after Tara’s death was reported, saying they are “deeply saddened and our thoughts are so much with the family.”
Sarah Ferguson said: “The York family are so shocked by this tragic news of the magnificent, beautifully energetic soul of Tara.”
When was Tara on I’m A Celebrity?
In 2002, the socialite jetted to Australia to appear in I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here, where she finished second.
Her memorable moments include being gunged as part of one of the first “Bush Tucker” trials.
The TV star returned to her jungle post when she was named a presenter for the behind-the-scenes spin off show, I'm a Celebrity... Get Me out of Here! Now.
What happened to Tara's partying ways?
Things took a turn for the worst in 1999 when her hedonistic antics took their toll.
She was admitted to the Meadows Clinic in Arizona for a cocaine addiction and later revealed she feared she was going to die.
Thanks to the help she received, Tara finally conquered a £250-a-day, six-year cocaine habit later that year.
Explaining how the drug quickly took a hold of her, she told The Jeremy Kyle Show: “The turning point was when I used to run down stairs and pretend I had to re park my car or something and saying to the dealer, ‘listen, here’s 30 quid’ and getting some for myself because I never wanted to be dependent on someone.
“I was lying to my boyfriend, I had lost my power. I was starting to be devious and deceptive and deceitful.”
She continued: “I would use it [cocaine] to give me confidence – that’s what it provides, that absolute vacuous false nature of everyone thinking that the sun shines out of your a*** when it really doesn’t.”
The star grabbed headlines in 2014 when she was handcuffed and arrested at Heathrow Airport after she had an explosive meltdown.
Did Tara Palmer-Tomkinson have plastic surgery?
The socialite struggled with Body Dysmorphia in the past, and after battling a cocaine addiction had to have rhinoplasty to fix her collapsed septum, and fillers to give her nose a more natural shape.
She underwent £6,000 worth of cosmetic surgery to get it fixed, with doctors using cartilage from her ear to rebuild it.
Tara said “general wear and tear” caused her nose to collapse and in 2011 she had fillers to straighten it out again in time for the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
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