A TIKTOK star who inspired Brits as she battled cancer has tragically died - with her boyfriend vowing she will "never be forgotten".
Leah Smith was diagnosed with bone cancer in 2019 and was quick to share her story with millions online.
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TikTok star Leah Smith has tragically died Credit: Instagram 3
The 22-year-old had battled cancer since 2019 Credit: Gofundme
But her family last night shared the devastating news she had passed away, aged 22.
The Liverpool youngster opened up about having Ewing's Sarcoma - a rare form of cancer that affects the bones and soft tissue - in 2020.
She admitted she was "terrified" but realised she wanted to speak about what she was going through - so turned to TikTok.
Leah told the LiverpoolEcho at the time: "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."
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Leah gardnered a following of more than 500,000 people - with her videos being viewed by millions.
And it was on that platform that her heartbroken boyfriend Andrew shared that she had died.
Speaking to the camera, he 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.
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"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."
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."
The young star was diagnosed with cancer after complaining of back pain in the months prior.
She said at the time: "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.
"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."
What is sarcoma?
BY TERRI-ANN WILLIAMS
SARCOMAS are a cancer that develop in any part of the body.
They are an uncommon disease and can strike inside or outside, including your muscles, bones, tendons, blood vessels and fatty tissues.
In the UK around 15 people are diagnosed with the illness each day - equating to 5,300 people each year.
Sarcoma UK says there are around 100 different subtypes of the cancer.
Your treatment will depend on the type of sarcoma you have and these can be grouped into soft tissue and bone sarcomas.
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.
But that all changed for Leah when she started sharing her story - inspiring thousands across not only the UK, but the globe.
And that support continued after her death.
Tens of thousands of devastated fans have paid tribute to Leah, sending her family their best wishes.
One girl wrote: "Leah smith, a girl we will never forget - rest in paradise angel, thoughts are with you all."
Another said: "Rip Leah Smith, you were amazing and so strong with fighting your battle as hard as you could.
"We are all so proud of you - you will never be forgotten."
One other TikTok user said: "Leah was such a beautiful person inside and out - she will never be forgotten."
Another young cancer sufferer devastatingly wrote: "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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Leah shared her story with millions online Credit: Instagram