Tara Palmer-Tomkinson dies aged 45

Her parents Charles and Patricia Palmer-Tomkinson are close friends of Prince Charles, who released a statement with his wife the Duchess of Cornwall saying they were “deeply saddened and our thoughts are so much with the family.”

A police spokesperson said "Police were called by London Ambulance Service at approximately 13:40 hours on Wednesday, 8 February to an address in Bramham Gardens, SW5.

"A woman, aged in her 40s, was pronounced dead at the scene. Next of kin have been informed.

"The death is being treated as unexplained. At this early stage, police are not treating the death as suspicious.

"Enquiries into the circumstances are ongoing. The Coroner has been informed."

Palmer-Tomkinson had revealed last November that she was battling a brain tumour which was first diagnosed at the start of 2016. "I went to the doctors to talk about my latest blood test results when I got back from skiing in January," she explained to the Daily Mail.

"I said, 'What does this mean? Can you translate it?' And the doctor said, 'As I suspected, you have a brain tumour.'"

The non-malignant growth in her pituitary gland was first discovered following blood tests taken after the TV personality felt run down the previous summer. The same tests revealed Palmer-Tomkinson was also suffering from a rare auto-immune condition.

She added: "I got terribly frightened. I started thinking, 'I'm going to die, I'm going to die. I've only got a couple of weeks to live.' Stuff like that.

"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."

Palmer-Tomkinson first came to public attention as a socialite. Her private life was well documented in the press, including her struggles with cocaine addiction.

Palmer-Tomkinson appeared in the first series of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, finishing in second place to winner Tony Blackburn. She has continued to make television appearances over the years, cropping up on Blind Date, Project Catwalk, Would I Lie to You?, Top Gear and more.