Tara Palmer-Tomkinson’s troubled life… Drug overdoses, a failed music career and the search for love that always eluded her
TARA Palmer-Tomkinson was one of the original 'It-girls' - and certainly no stranger to drama.
The 45-year-old ex-model, who tragically passed away from a brain tumour at her London home earlier today, regularly hit the headlines as a result of her party-loving lifestyle.
From her battle with drugs to her Royal connection as Prince Charles' close family friend, the socialite became renowned for her controversial wild ways.
Born in Hampshire to Olympic skier Charles and Patricia Palmer-Tomkinson, Tara was a regular face on the London party scene throughout the nineties and noughties.
She first found fame after penning details of her extravagant party girl lifestyle in The Sunday Times.
In the Nineties she went on to write regular columns in The Spectator, The Mail on Sunday, GQ and Tatler, speaking candidly about her day-to-day life.
She became of the first celebrities to develop their own ‘brand’, with her newspaper exposure and book deals which led to countless TV appearances.
Though it was later revealed that ghost writer Wendy Holden was responsible for her Sunday Times column after weekly phone-ins with the star.
Known by her fans as T P-T, her hedonist antics came to a head in 1999, when she was first treated for her drug addiction.
Thanks to the help she received, Tara finally conquered her £400-a-day, six-year cocaine habit later that year.
After years of substance abuse, in 2006 her septum nasi - the wall of cartilage between the nostrils - collapsed, forcing her to undergo £6,000 worth of cosmetic surgery to get it fixed.
In 2014 she broke down on The Jeremy Kyle Show as she gave an emotional interview about her battle with drug addiction, and urged other users to seek help in getting clean.
She told how an overdose almost stopped her heart, spoke candidly about her £35,000 rehab visit and admitted she had since became a recluse.
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Tara was a contestant on the first ever I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here in 2002, in which she was the runner-up.
One of the more memorable moments of the series was when she was gunged in the Jungle Shower. She went on to present the behind-the-scenes show I'm a Celebrity... Get Me out of Here! Now on ITV2.
The star then became a regular on the reality TV circuit, appearing on Spelling Bee and Cold Turkey, which followed her efforts to quit smoking along with model Sophie Anderton.
She also featured in celebrity special editions of A Place in the Sun and Blind Date.
Tara was a talented musician, playing the piano at events at the Royal Festival Hall with the National Symphony Orchestra and at The Coliseum during a Leonard Bernstein Tribute.
The star also hosted the Classic FM Gramophone Awards in 2005.
In 2012, T P-T released her debut single 5 Seconds, but it turned out to be a flop.
In December 2014, she was arrested and handcuffed by armed police after she flew into a rage at Heathrow Airport.
The star swore and gesticulated at officers before tearing out her hair extensions as they questioned her over her behaviour.
She later claimed she had suffered a panic attack, adding: “I wasn’t drunk, there was no disorderly [behaviour]. I was cautioned, I saw a doctor, they were nice to me.”
‘I knew my heart was stopping’: Tara Palmer-Tomkinson’s harrowing Jeremy Kyle interview
Tara Palmer-Tomkinson bravely discussed her drug battles on The Jeremy Kyle Show in 2014
The socialite, who was 42 at the time, candidly spoke about how her addiction to illegal substances had plagued her life and how she once knew her “heart was stopping”. In the emotional interview, Tara broke down in floods of tears while discussing how she almost died after taking an overdose of cocaine. "I remember timing my heart because I knew it was going to stop… [starts crying],” she said. "I remember my telephone was there [points] and I remember crawling on my hands and knees to pick up the phone and call, and then I woke up in hospital. "I remember saying my prayers. I knew my heart was stopping." During the searingly honest chat, Tara revealed she once “got drunk” on the plane while travelling to a £35,000 rehab facility in Arizona. Tara told Jeremy that she had become a recluse and was petrified of drugs. "I don’t have any temptation to take drugs any more. No, no, gosh no,” she said. "Drugs absolutely terrify me." Tara added: "I get terribly anxious going out, I’ve only been out three times this year. I don’t go out to public events. For the last two years I haven’t worked. "I've seen a therapist every single week for the last nine, ten years of my life."
The star had a string of high profile relationships, the most notable being with former Blue singer Duncan James, but admitted she never saw herself "settling down".
She said in a Fabulous interview: "I was in love once, years ago, but I was left a bit heartbroken and I never got that feeling back. The right guy just hasn’t come along."
Tara added she didn't want children as they "terrified" her.
In 2013 she became a patron of Scottish charity Speur Ghlan, which delivers early intervention for young children diagnosed with autism or developmental delays, for a year.
She also welcomed "ordinary people" to watch her compete on Comic Relief Does Fame Academy, giving away her complimentary tickets to the police officer who recovered her stolen car, the locksmith who once helped her back into her home after she locked herself out and her parents' local shopkeepers.
In her later years, Tara released her own clothing line, Desiderata London, and became obsessed with healthy eating, though she continued to smoke and "drink red wine".
She told how she ate a lot and never went to the gym, but found it "incredibly hard to put on weight".
Tara also continued to see a psychiatrist a couple of times a month.
Speaking about her wild past, Tara recently admitted: “I’ve gone completely the other way. I’m a very quiet person now, and I like being that person. I have a better perspective on life.”
The personality has been battling a brain tumour since last January, and passed away at her London home earlier today.
She revealed she was fighting the illness after going for a set of blood tests after feeling run down the previous summer.