Vicky McClure shares heartbreaking family loss in moving tribute as she reveals her gratitude at having ‘so many special memories’
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Line Of Duty star Vicky McClure has confirmed the death of her grandfather Ralph, hours after he passed away at the age of 99 on Monday morning.
The actress shared a photo of her grandfather, a D-Day veteran, to her Instagram grid and told her followers that she will be “grateful to have so many special memories with him.”
She wrote: ‘My Grandpa Ralph passed away peacefully this morning. His love for football, gardening and his family kept him young all these years.
‘I am so grateful that I have so many special memories with him. A much-loved hero by everyone and a loving grandfather to all his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
“Sleep well grandpa, now back with Nana Jean, giggling and dancing in the stars.”
Vicky’s heartfelt post was flooded with condolences from her fans and showbiz friends, including Davina McCall, Alan Carr and Gaby Roslin.
Line Of Duty star Vicky McClure has confirmed the death of her grandfather Ralph, hours after his passing at the age of 99 on Monday morning
The actress shared a photo of her D-Day veteran grandfather to her Instagram grid, telling her followers that she will be “grateful to have so many special memories with him.”
Earlier this year, ahead of the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in June, Vicky’s grandfather told how he narrowly escaped death when his landing craft was hit by enemy fire during the invasion of Normandy.
Ralph was just 17 when he signed up to serve in the Royal Navy and was deployed as a signaller on a landing raft tank on that historic day.
Mr McClure’s ship took armored vehicles straight to the beaches, where he described having to jump down and hide when they came under sniper fire.
“For me it was a job that had to be done and you did it to the best of your ability,” he told the BBC.
He continued, “I went downstairs and I could hear ‘Ping! Ping! Ping!’ and I thought ‘they must be snipers.’
They had German snipers in the houses and I dropped down and threw myself where the tanks had been, where they couldn’t get you.
“These are the parts of the landing you don’t forget.”
Vicki, who is known for playing action heroine Kate Fleming in Line Of Duty, spoke about her respect for her grandfather and the importance of remembering that day.
She wrote: ‘My Grandpa Ralph passed away peacefully this morning. His love for football, gardening and his family kept him young all these years.’
Earlier this year, Vicky’s (right) grandfather explained how he narrowly escaped death when his landing craft was hit by enemy fire during the invasion of Normandy.
Vicki talked about her respect for her grandfather and how important it is to remember that day
“It’s so important to keep this history very close and make sure the kids know about it,” she said.
‘It’s so important that people like my grandfather can remember this and I’m sure there are many veterans who felt unable or didn’t want to do that.
“So any information we can get about that history is important.”
She added that he had only recently started talking about his experiences in the war.