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Katie Hopkins breaks silence on Peaches Geldof death in uncharacteristically sincere column: 'She wouldn't want me to tweet'

Hopkins had come under fire for failing to acknowledge Geldof’s death publicly

Jenn Selby
Monday 14 April 2014 08:53 BST
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Those expecting 500 words of bile to drip from the pen of one-woman controversy machine Katie Hopkins regarding the death of her former public opponent Peaches Geldof – prepare to be surprised.

In an uncharacteristically sincere move, the former Apprentice star has done away with inflammatory statements on the premature passing of the socialite, who was found dead at her home in Kent aged just 25 on Monday.

Instead, she’s opted for a tasteful column, in which she points out that Geldof, who she famously faced off against on the This Morning couch after disagreeing with the young mother-of-two’s adoption of attachment parenting techniques, wouldn’t have wanted her to tweet about her death.

"Death is a strange thing," she begins. "Despite it being part of everyday life, we still find it hard to come to terms with. Mostly we prefer not to think about it, hoping we die in our sleep — old, fat and happy. But death at 25 is shocking.

"Most fall to a stunned silence at the news, disbelieving at first. But celebrities scramble to their Twitter accounts, rushing to outdo each other in public display of distress."

She then listed a number of famous names, like Gok Wan and Myleene Klass, who felt the need to comment on her passing, despite never knowing the socialite in person. Hopkins herself had come under fire for failing to acknowledge Geldof’s passing publicly.

"I watched them try to outbid each other in a public auction of affection and held my tongue," she continued for The Sun. "'What a cow,' said one. 'Where is your support for Peaches?' and 'Have you an ounce of sympathy in your nasty little heart?' said another.

"One tabloid managed to cobble together a full-page article from those spitting venom on Twitter that I hadn’t gushed sadness all over social media.

"A magazine offered me a fee to comment on her death.

"That is not how decent people behave in Britain. In the UK it is stiff upper lip and tears at the crematorium."

She went on to describe how other cultures grieve for the deceased and how social media has "changed the game".

"Celebrities play it well. They have taken it upon themselves to lead the nation in its grief — like a bishop at a state funeral. Celebrities are the new priests of pain. I refused to be part of this revolting spectacle."

Describing her own personal experience of Peaches Geldof, she wrote: "Peaches and I met once, on a TV sofa in central London. We were strangers and remained adversaries. Peaches didn’t want a tweet from me. She didn’t welcome it in life. She certainly didn’t need it in death. She was tough enough not to seek approval from anyone. I admire that trait in others."

She even went as far as to stress the need for the media and the famous alike to allow the Geldof family their right to grieve in private.

"Now Sir Bob, her husband and the children need to be left in private to clutch on to anything that keeps them afloat. We can feel dreadful for them without providing commentary at the horrible spectacle of it all."

But of course, she couldn’t resist a quick reference to Peaches’ mother, Paula Yates’ untimely death after a heroin overdose in 2000.

"Growing up without a mum brought heartbreak into Peaches’ life. Her death threatens to do the same for her boys. History has done a terrible thing and repeated itself. When everything seems lost for one poor family, there is only dignity to hold on to and privacy to give. Sir Bob kept his dignity with words of raw despair."

"I offer privacy with silence," she concluded. "Peaches didn’t need tweets from celebrities or strangers — she just needed a mother’s love."

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