02 June 2024 , 17:22
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Jonnie Irwin scammers have been called out by a fuming Laura Hamilton after she found out they had been using her identity after the London Marathon.
The A Place In The Sun host, 42, was one of many taking part in the London Marathon in April 2024, as she rose up to the challenge to support the WellChild charity and honoured her pal Jonnie, who passed away from terminal lung cancer in early February, four years after being diagnosed with the illness in 2020.
Laura created her own JustGiving page for her donations but was furious to find out individuals had set up their own pages in her name, despite her having already completed the Marathon.
"I raised five and a half grand for them, but after I ran the marathon there were people saying 'do you know there are people setting up scam pages', saying I'm still fundraising for the marathon and still trying to get donations", she told The Sun.
Laura Hamilton reveals scammers have used both her identity and her pal Jonnie Irwin's death to con her fans out of money
Jonnie Irwin passed away from terminal lung cancer earlier this year (Instagram)"They weren't legitimately for the charity and that just makes me feel sick that people were willing to do that when I was running." She added: "I had an official Just Giving page and then there are scammers that are sucking people in saying 'oh yeah we're still trying to fundraise' and that is so terrible."
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Laura has previously spoken about her close bond with the late Jonnie during an emotional chat on GB News, as the pair had worked alongside one another on the set of A Place In The Sun. Recalling her time with Jonnie and fellow presenter Jasmine Harman, she said: "last time I was in Spain, a couple of weeks ago I saw Jas and her family again we are very close. Our kids hang out. So yeah, we are very close."
"Jas and I in particular obviously were sort of closest to Jonnie. So having done the show as long as we have... So yeah, we reminisce a lot. We are a family at A Place in the Sun, both for everyone in front and behind the camera. And lots of us have worked together for years."
"So although we might not see each other all the time, we regularly do chat and we do message each other. We do keep up to date. I mean I’m flying out to Spain next week - I’m actually filming for the next couple of weeks - and I’m going to meet with Jasmine."
Jasmine Harman herself spoke out about Jonnie's death while on the set of Loose Women and broke down in tears, unable to contain her emotion as she was shown throwback snaps. In another breath, she said: "I think you never know what's around the corner and I think Jonnie's situation, we can all take something from it."