Georgina Cooper is laid to rest: Husband of nineties supermodel pays tribute to the ‘love of my life’ as family and friends say their final farewells at her funeral after her sudden death at the age of 46

Nineties supermodel Georgina Cooper was laid to rest yesterday as her husband paid tribute to the ‘love of my life’ at a funeral attended by family and close friends.

Mourners packed Vinters Park Crematorium and poured into the memorial gardens in Bearsted, Kent, to listen to the eulogies delivered to the Britpop-era star shortly before midday.

Her husband of just six months, Nigel, led tributes to Cooper who died last month aged 46, saying: ‘I loved you from the day I first met you. And I will never stop loving you.”

Her best friend Rachel thanked Nigel for giving Cooper ‘the happiest years of her life’, praising the former catwalk icon for her ‘dedication to her son’ and her ‘laughter’.

Cooper’s brothers, Shane and Paul Donnelly, read poems in honor of their “little sister,” describing her as a “princess without a tiara.”

And her eldest sibling, Paul, revealed he was ‘overwhelmed with love’ and ‘afraid of letting her down’ when he was invited to cradle his newborn sister at the age of six.

Paul told how, despite rising to the top of the fashion world, Cooper never forgot where she came from: ‘a two-bedroom flat in Charlton, South East London’.

Georgina Cooper’s brother Shane Donnelly arrives at Vinters Park Crematorium

Georgina Cooper (pictured in 2003) died after falling ill on October 25 in Kos, Greece

Repeating a tribute to his sister after her death, he said: ‘Georgina was the most unpretentious person in an industry built on facades.’

Visual tributes were also displayed during the 45-minute ‘celebration’ of her life, with photos of Georgina during her career as a fashion model and her life as a devoted mother flashing on the screen to music.

The service ended with closing music from the hit film “Sister Act” featuring Whoopi Goldberg’s rendition of the soul classic “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.”

Cooper died after falling ill on the Greek island of Kos on October 25, just months after marrying her partner Nigel.

The couple married in May this year at the Fox and Goose pub in Bearsted, where Cooper worked as a barmaid.

Flowers on the coffin outside Vinters Park Crematorium prior to the funeral

Members of Georgina Cooper’s family, including her brother Paul Donnelly (right)

The order of service for the funeral of Georgina Cooper, who used her married name Smith

The former model had been on holiday with Nigel and was initially rushed to a local hospital before being flown to a better equipped medical facility in Heraklion, Crete, where she died after spending five days in intensive care.

A local coroner confirmed the cause of death as cirrhosis of the liver and internal bleeding following organ failure.

Following Cooper’s unexpected death, supermodels Jade Parfitt, Helena Christensen, Erin O’Connor and Jodie Kidd paid tribute to the ‘ray of light’ whose ‘achievements were enormous’.

Parfitt told MailOnline: ‘Her friends and family are absolutely devastated, Georgina was a ray of light, a very popular model who was riotous fun, always laughing and naughty in the best of ways.

“We all wanted to hang out with George backstage. Her achievements in the industry have been enormous.”

Her former agent Dean Goodman added: “She was the original gap-toothed girl! I will miss her dearly, rest in peace, Georgie girl.

Georgina Cooper on her wedding day earlier this year. She died abroad with her husband

Georgina Cooper and her husband Nigel on their wedding day in June. She died in October

Georgina Cooper on the Versace catwalk in 2000

Georgina Cooper at the Bluemarine Falls show in 1997

“I will never forget you and always love you, see you on the other side.”

He continued, “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 rose to fame after being spotted by a modeling agency at the age of 13 and appearing in a Bon Jovi music video two years later.

The London-born cover girl was dubbed London’s ‘original gap-toothed girl’ and appeared on the cover of magazines such as American Vogue and The Face.