“This has shattered us”: BBC reality star Jasmine Burkitt has passed away
<p dir="ltr">British reality star Jasmine Burkitt, known as Jazz to her loved ones and friends, has died aged 28.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Burkitt was known for her 2011 documentary, Small Teen, Bigger World, a four-part series on BBC Three where she gave viewers an insight into her life as a teenager with dwarfism.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Her fiancé, Lewis Burke, confirmed the news of her passing on social media earlier this week, per <em><a href="https://celebrity.nine.com.au/latest/jasmine-burkitt-dead-at-28-bbc-reality-star/b4cb4bdf-b00b-40ab-a78c-f25a3092dc9b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">9Honey</a></em>.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“She is the most incredible human that ever walked this planet, she is the strongest, funniest, most kindest and purely decent person I’ve ever known,” he wrote on their shared Facebook page.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“I am truly devastated. She changed my life forever and I’ll never be the same.”</p>
<p dir="ltr">Burke, who was in hospital for a heart operation at the time of her passing, said Burkitt had passed away “after a long battle with a serious mental illness”.</p>
<p dir="ltr">According to multiple media outlets, Norman Burkitt, Burkitt’s grandfather, said Burke’s mother found her body in a tent where she and Burke had been living since 2021.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The couple had been documenting their life living in a tent in Bodelwyddan, Wales, on their Facebook page, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/lewisandjazz/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Join our Journey</a>, after struggling to get council accommodation.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“We’re a differently abled couple who happen to live in a tent outdoors, in the UK,” the introduction on their page reads.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“Although this wasn’t really our first choice, we are still determined to remain happy and productive throughout!! We are turning our homelessness from something negative to something positive.”</p>
<p dir="ltr">Burkitt’s grandfather said the couple’s situation highlighted the “desperate” housing situation in Wales, since the couple couldn’t get public housing together as they were from two different parts of the country.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“The coroner has rang us to say there will be a post mortem. They were living in this tent because they could not get a house,” he said.</p>
<p dir="ltr">He described his granddaughter as a “fantastic girl” who was “so clever and bright”, emphasising her love of art and her television success.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“She broke all sorts of viewing records at the BBC and got two awards,” he said. “This has shattered us, we have had no sleep. Everyone will miss her.”</p>
<p dir="ltr">While Burkitt was filming her show, she was a registered carer for her mother, who later died from lung and breathing problems in 2014. Both had an undiagnosed form of dwarfism, which doctors couldn’t find the cause for.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Her grandfather revealed she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and had a heart valve issue that meant she was taking three different types of medication and had to have hospital check-ups every six months.</p>
<p dir="ltr">In January, Burkitt shared with her followers on Instagram that she had been hospitalised due to her physical and mental health at the end of the previous year, adding that she was “so happy to be much more stable” and couldn’t wait to be back with Burke and their dog, Loki.</p>
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<p dir="ltr"><em>Image: @joinourjourneyinsta (Instagram)</em></p>
