Lottie Tomlinson has revealed that enduring unimaginable heartbreak ultimately brought her and her siblings closer together. The 27-year-old content creator, known for her massive social media following, spoke exclusively about her experiences with grief, which she says solidified the bond within her family.
A Family United Through Tragedy
At just 18, Lottie faced the devastating loss of her mother, Johannah, who died from leukaemia in December 2016, just months after her diagnosis. The family, including older brother Louis and younger siblings Félicité, Phoebe, Daisy, Doris, and Ernest, were left without any formal support or bereavement therapy. Reflecting on that time, Lottie said: 'I think actually having two grief experiences taught me a lot because the first time round obviously it was so new to me and we hadn't really ever been offered any kind of support or therapy.' She explained that such support was not openly discussed, leaving them to 'just get on with it.'
Three years later, tragedy struck again when her sister Félicité died at age 18 from an accidental overdose. This second loss prompted Lottie to seek therapy, a decision that transformed her approach to grief. 'When I lost my sister a couple of years later, it really made me want to deal with it differently,' she said. Despite initial hesitations, therapy proved invaluable.
The Role of Therapy and Support
Lottie credits her partnership with Sue Ryder for providing essential support networks. 'They offer so many amazing support networks through therapy; it was such a different experience for me the second time around, having that therapy,' she said. She praised palliative care nurses and doctors for their daily work in heartbreaking environments.
Growing up in Doncaster, Lottie built a career alongside her brother Louis Tomlinson's fame. Her social media work gave her focus during grief. 'I was just establishing my career when my mum passed,' she recalled. 'She was so supportive of that and was so excited, I really wanted to still fulfil that for her and honour her, which made it easier to deal with being so public.' Her online community became a source of strength.
Johannah's Lasting Influence
Johannah was the driving force behind her children's ambitions. Lottie drew inspiration from Lou Teasdale, One Direction's hairstylist, and later worked with Selena Gomez as her makeup artist. Encouraged by her mother, Lottie seized the opportunity despite her shyness. 'She's the reason I'm doing this today,' Lottie said. 'She pushed me to go on the tour when I was too shy and didn't really want to. Without that push from her, I wouldn't be where I am today, so I always credit her for that.'
Family Bond Strengthened
Lottie believes the shared heartache drew her and her siblings closer. 'I definitely don't think we would have dealt with our grief as well as we have without each other,' she said. 'It's one kind of thing that I take away from my grief situations as a positive because it really brought us so much closer. We were always close as a family, but I think when you go through something like that, it really makes you hold each other tight, and for us, it definitely solidified our bond, and now we're so, so close, and we're leaning on each other for everything.'
This closeness is evident as Lottie has asked sisters Phoebe and Daisy to be her maids of honour at her upcoming wedding to Lewis Burton. Planning has been a 'long process,' with trips abroad to find the perfect venue. After considering Majorca, they settled on a UK venue for next summer. 'We got engaged a few years ago now, it's gone so quick,' she said. 'We always wanted to have another baby before we started wedding planning. So we had Flossie last January, and then picked up planning.'
Motherhood and Career Balance
Lottie is mother to son Lucky, three, and daughter Flossie, one. She admits life has changed dramatically but embraces the challenge. 'It's not just you anymore; you want to make sure that everything's in place for your kids, in case anything were to happen to you,' she said. She feels lucky to balance raising her children with pursuing her dreams, inspired by other working mothers. 'I think it's nice that my kids will grow up seeing a mum who is ambitious and has still followed her dreams, but also been as present as I can be for them.'
Navigating Social Media and Parenthood
Managing a public-facing career while parenting is complex, but Lottie's followers remain supportive. 'I try and embrace it because my audience is obviously what helps me drive my career, and I'm really grateful to have that community,' she said. Her followers often share their own experiences of motherhood and grief, creating a positive network.
Now approaching her 30s, Lottie's outlook has shifted. She no longer seeks validation from big events or jobs, finding happiness in 'small things.' 'That's what makes me happy, a healthy family, calmness, just little things that make you happy,' she said. 'Life's too short.'
Campaigning for End-of-Life Conversations
Lottie has teamed up with Sue Ryder for their 'The Cab Fare-well' campaign, offering free rides in exchange for conversations about end-of-life wishes with trained palliative care nurses. She is also involved with a new charity, Legacy Hub, which helps organise important documents and memories. 'There was a lot of unanswered questions when my mum died about her wishes and where stuff was. And it really creates such unnecessary grief and heartache for a lot of families,' she explained.
She acknowledges that end-of-life care remains a taboo topic, but encourages people to use tools like the Legacy Hub app. 'It takes two minutes to download this app, you can assign an executor so people know who to contact,' she said. Working with Sue Ryder has been a highlight, allowing her to help others navigate grief. 'We often don't have these conversations, which is so understandable. I myself hadn't had these conversations until working on this campaign, but it's so important because you don't want to leave your loved ones with these kinds of questions once they're gone.'
Lottie believes there is no single way to grieve, and people should express it in their own way. Sue Ryder encourages the nation to open up about end-of-life wishes to normalise these conversations and ease uncertainty for loved ones.
