Duncan James pays tribute to ex-girlfriend and best friend Tara Palmer-Tomkinson who died aged 45 after brain tumour battle
Mason Cooper
Updated on March 22, 2026
TARA has been my best friend since I got into the industry.
We met spontaneously when she came out of the jungle on a TV show called CD:UK.
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We had a brief conversation backstage and I told her how great she was on the show.
When I watched her on I’m A Celebrity I just knew she was somebody that I would love as a friend because of her infectious personality and cheekiness.
Backstage she slipped me - in true Tara fashion - her phone number written in eyeliner pen on a scrappy piece of paper, thrusting it into my hand so no-one else could see.
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Tara had a cheeky, naughty, mischievous side that I loved. She would always make me smile and laugh in ways that nobody else could.
She really was the brightest light to be around and had this warmth around her that could lift the spirits of everyone around and we became the best of friends.
There was always speculation about us dating each other and it always used to make us laugh.
Tara playfully said once, “Why don’t we just get married?”
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I remember one day we were in Klosters and she said, ‘Look there’s paparazzi, let’s look at wedding rings in a window and give them something to talk about.”
So she always had this naughty little side to her but it was so innocent and adorable.
However, I know deep down Tara would have loved nothing more than to meet someone, settle down and be happy.
We always joked that we would grow old together and be the best of friends for life.
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Tara had such a love of music and I would spend many nights in her apartment listening to her playing the piano and writing fun little songs together that made us laugh.
She was so good at improvising with lyrics and melody and we would fall around on the floor in floods of laughter..
She would then jump up and all of a sudden, break out into a headstand using the chair of the piano and perform scissor kicks with her legs in the air, just randomly.
Heartbroken and numb I have lost one of my oldest and dearest friends. I'm going to miss ur laughter the most shmooey . Rip sweetheart 💔
— Duncan james (@MrDuncanJames) February 8, 2017
I would say, “God, please be careful Tara,” and she would tell me “I’m fine.” No matter what Tara did, I always did believe she would be fine and that is why it is such a shock to me that she is gone.
She had an energy about her that was simply amazing. I have so many fond memories from all the holidays we shared together, countless nights out in wonderful restaurants.
I will treasure all of those moments as some of the best times of my life.
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Although it appeared Tara loved the attention of being in the spotlight, she also battled with a life in the public eye.
She was actually a very private person when it came to family and connections and I respected and admired her for that.
She was so proud of her life and where she came from however she had an air of dignity whomever she was with.
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Tara was the type of person that if somebody in the street said they liked her shoes or bag that she would kick off her stilettos or empty out the contents of her handbag and hand it to them and say ‘have that, I have another at home.’
She was both wonderfully generous and utterly spontaneous in her manner. Her eccentricity would often be misunderstood.
But anybody who knew Tara knew she had the biggest heart, the most infectious laugh and made everyone feel a million dollars.
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I could talk all day about her because that is how much she meant to me and how much she affected my life on a daily basis and so many hearts are broken who knew and loved Tara and she will be missed so very much.
She sadly battled many demons and now she will be truly at rest without being frightened or scared.
My sympathy goes to her wonderful family at this time whom she adored and will be feeling this loss the greatest.
