Georgina Cooper died ‘after suddenly falling ill on holiday’: Supermodel, 46, passed away in hospital while on trip to Kos with her husband just months after they got married, friend reveals

British supermodel Georgina Cooper – an icon of ‘Cool Britannia’ and a friend of Kate Moss – has tragically died aged 46 on a Greek island, just months after getting married, MailOnline announced today.

Tributes have poured in from fellow catwalk stars such as Jade Parfitt, Erin O’Connor, Jodie Kidd and Helena Christensen, who called her a ‘ray of light’ whose ‘achievements in the industry have been enormous’.

Georgina was staying with her husband in Kos at Marianna’s hotel apartments when she fell ill on October 21 and the staff called an ambulance.

She was initially taken to the island’s main hospital, but her condition was so serious that doctors arranged for an air ambulance to fly her to Crete, which has better facilities.

Staff rushed her to the intensive care unit where she stayed for five days before dying. Her body was flown back to England last week.

Jade Parfitt revealed on Instagram that her friend had died

Georgina Cooper, centre, walked the catwalk with Julien MacDonald in 2000

Pictured in 2003, Georgina was one of the most famous faces of the 1990s

Georgina Cooper, pictured at the Destino in London at the height of her career in the 1990s and more recently, has died aged 46.

A source in Kos said: ‘She has been coming here on holiday for more than twenty years. Her parents are friends of the hotel owners and she is a good friend of theirs.

‘She came here in July for her honeymoon and again in October for a holiday. The day before she was to fly home, she became ill.

‘Georgina loved Greece and always came here, but she had health problems and was sick once while she was here.

‘But this all came very suddenly and it is a shock to all of us. She talked about coming back in May because she wanted to find a place to live and maybe start a business. It’s so sad.’

Her former agent, Dean Goodman, told MailOnline today: ‘She loved Greece and told me she was moving back with her new husband – but she tragically died there a fortnight ago.

‘Georgina had been unwell during Covid and had developed some health problems and had been in and out of hospital. But she had plans for the future. She had just gotten married and was looking forward to her life. Everyone is devastated. She was a real superstar.’

Georgina was spotted by a modeling agency at the age of 13 and her first big break came when she appeared in a Bon Jovi music video at the age of 15.

She then became one of the faces of the nineties and was called London’s ‘original gap-toothed girl’, working as a muse for celebrated photographer Corinne Day, the biggest names in fashion and appearing on the cover of American Vogue and The Face.

George, as she was known to friends, left the catwalk to focus on raising her son Sonny. Most recently she worked in the hospitality industry in Kent.

Jade said she was a ‘ray of sunshine’

Her former agent Dean Goodman shared his tribute today, saying he and many others are heartbroken

Friend and fellow model Jade Parfitt told MailOnline: ‘Her friends and family are absolutely devastated, Georgina was a ray of light, a very popular model who had riotous fun, was always laughing and was naughty in the best of ways. We all wanted to hang out with George backstage. Her achievements in the industry have been enormous.”

Georgina had walked down the aisle at her home in Maidstone, Kent, during the reception at the local pub in early June.

The couple then honeymooned in Kos and shared a series of cheerful photos from their wedding on the island’s Facebook community site.

But by the end of October she had returned to the Greek island, where she tragically fell ill.

Mr Goodman added in an Instagram tribute: ‘I am totally shocked and spoke to her not too long ago to meet after she had just got married.

“She was the original gap-toothed girl! I will miss her dearly, go in peace Georgie girl, I will never forget you and love you always, see you on the other side’.

It is not known how she died. In recent years, Georgina had raised significant amounts of money for various charities, including for people with liver and lung diseases.

Her sister-in-law Tracey Wallace has described Georgina’s death as a ‘tragedy’.

Mrs Wallace, 45, said: “My partner Shane was Georgina’s brother. It’s such a tragedy. I don’t know what to say other than it’s very sad.’

George was close to fellow Londoner Kate Moss and modeled for many major British brands including Alexander McQueen, Burberry and Stella McCartney.

The mother-of-one has also regularly appeared at shows for fashion houses such as Armani and Versace – and has been on the cover of fashion bibles such as Vogue and The Face.

She said in 2018: ‘After I had my son, I just couldn’t bear to leave him alone and I wanted to be there for him. I tried to continue modeling but it broke my heart when I had to leave him for work.

‘I concentrated on modeling assignments in London, but my life was at a crossroads and I decided Sonny came first.’

1997: Georgina at the Bluemarine Falls show

2000: Model Georgina Cooper on the catwalk

2000: Georgina Cooper on the Versace catwalk

Georgina models for Versace. She wore the first collection designed solely by Donatella Versace, after the death of her brother Gianni

2006: Georgina Cooper at a Roberto Cavalli event at Harrods

2009: Georgina Cooper on the catwalk at the Fall Emporio Armani show

Friends described George (pictured) as the life and soul of the party

Friends and family are ‘heartbroken’ over her death.

Her friend Jade Parfitt, also a model, shared the tragic news of her death on Instagram. Jodie Kidd and Helena Christensen then shared their black hearts in tribute.

Supermodel and writer Erin O’Connor also posted a touching message for her friend, praising her courage.

She said: ‘Beautiful George… Shocked and devastated to hear you are gone.

‘You were an incredibly kind and funny person, Georgina. I/we all admired and loved you so much for the warmth, generosity and friendly mischief you brought into the world.

‘Many years have passed since we (our little ’90s Britannia pack) hung out together during the crazy carousel era known as ‘show season’ – but you ALWAYS stood out to me because I kept it real and was proud of who you were.

‘What an almighty life you have led. Full of spirit and endless, inspiring humility. You will never be forgotten. Phenomenal woman, wife, daughter, mother and friend; My thoughts are with your family, especially your beautiful boy.

“Hugs and condolences to everyone.. RIP brave heart.”

George entered a modeling competition when she was 13 and never looked back.

She said in 2018: ‘I started modeling when I was 13 when my mother entered me into the Elite Look of The Year competition in 1992 – I came third in the competition – it was an amazing experience and it made my mother and father very proud of me.

She continued, “I started working with Corinne Day when I was fifteen. I went to her apartment to meet her and Tara Hill.

Georgina and her husband Nigel on their wedding day in June

George famously left the modeling industry because she wanted to raise her son Sonny

Corinne really liked my appearance – she especially liked the gap between my teeth – and she also liked my personality.

‘The following week we did our first shoot for Ray Gun magazine. It was a great time – we all had so much fun – and Corrine was great to work with.

“I was so young at the time that I didn’t really understand how influential the work we were doing until I got older and people complimented me on the work we did together.”

But after struggling to balance having a baby and her modeling work, she decided to focus on her family.

“I’m just a girl from South London who likes to travel the world,” Ms Cooper said when asked about her career.

But in a warning to others, she said: ‘If I could go back and give myself one piece of advice it would be to invest. I would also tell all the new models starting out in this industry to do the same.”