THE heartbroken boyfriend of TikTok star Leah Smith took to her much-loved platform to announce she had died in March 2024.

       But who was the inspirational cancer fighter and how did she capture the hearts of Brits?

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       TikTok star Leah Smith tragically died in March 2024 Credit: Instagram Who was TikTok star Leah Smith?

       Leah Smith was a young woman from Liverpool who was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer in 2019.

       She shared her journey with millions on TikTok account @xx_leahsmith and garnered more than 500,000 followers in the years that followed.

       Leah's devastated partner Andrew took to her platform on March 11, 2024, to announce she had died that morning.

       She was just 22.

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       Speaking to the camera, Andrew said: "This is just a message to anyone that's followed Leah or gave her any support or any nice comments. I'm sad to say that she passed away today at around 11.30 this morning.

       "I just want to say thank you to everyone. All your comments did help - she did actually read all of them. Anyone who said anything nice ever - it means more than you realise.

       "We'll all miss Leah but we'll make sure that we never forget her.

       "I want to see everyone speaking about Leah and how amazing she is and how much she helped everyone. We'll never let Leah be forgotten."

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       In the days leading up to Leah's death, other loved ones took to her social media platforms to give fans updates.

       Her pal Vikki said: "Leah is on end-of-life now and is unable to move or talk, but she is reacting to us with noises and knows we are there.

       "Andrew hasn't left her side, he's been an absolute rock to her throughout this journey.

       "The main thing is that Leah is so peaceful now, she looks as beautiful as ever and we're just grateful we can be at her bedside and hold her and to comfort her through it."

       What was Leah Smith diagnosed with?

       Around the beginning of 2019, Leah said she'd started to feel pain in her back.

       Speaking to the LiverpoolEcho in 2020, she said: "I had really bad back pains for 10 months. It was constant then I lost all the feeling in my left leg and I knew something was most definitely wrong."

       Ten months later she was diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma - a rare form of cancer that affects the bones and soft tissue.

       She recalled at the time: "I was terrified. Scared for my life, I thought I was going to die.

       "I felt like my whole world had crashed right in front of me and it was never going to get better. I felt so alone."

       Ewing sarcoma, or ewing’s sarcoma, is a rare type of cancer that affects bones or the tissue around bones.

       It's more common in males and mainly affects children and young people aged from 10 to 20.

       The main areas affected by Ewing’s sarcoma are the legs (around the knees), pelvis, arms, ribs and spine.

       As the condition is so rare and can often require complicated treatment, you may be referred to a specialist team for your care.

       Symptoms include bone pain, which may get worse over time and at night, a tender lump or swelling and a high temperature that doesn't go away.

       Sufferers may also feel tired all the time and experience weight loss.

       As bones tend to be weaker, they are susceptible to breakage, with many people being diagnosed after a fracture.

       What content did Leah Smith make?

       Leah started out creating short dance, lip-sync, comedy, and talent videos.

       But, she also would post updates on her cancer journey.

       She said in 2020: "I wanted to start a TikTok to express my journey and show people my life living with cancer - the ups and downs of it.

       "People absolutely love it."

       In the years that followed, throughout her hospital stays, Leah continued to post for her fans - some funny, some heartbreaking.

       As her followers heard the news of her death, they told of how much they appreciated her content.

       One fellow cancer battler wrote through tears: "Been sat blubbering for the past hour because most of us cancer girlies couldn't of got through our journeys without Leah.

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       "She was the first person to message me when I put my career journey on social media and she constantly made sure I was doing okay. She constantly checked up on me, wishing me well.

       "Life really is so cruel and she deserved so much more and my heart just aches for her and her family."

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       The 22-year-old had captured the hearts of Brits before she died Credit: Instagram