Mrs Hinch’s year from hell as brave star reveals toll of son’s horror health scare, dad’s tragic death & shock diagnosis
SHARING the heartbreaking news of her father’s death, Mrs Hinch described facing “deep unimaginable pain” she could not put into words.
The cleaning and home influencer, real name Sophie Hinchliffe, today revealed dad Alan passed away “peacefully” in his sleep on April 25.
Previously, the mum-of-two, 34, said her father – whose cause of death was not disclosed – was “never blessed with… fantastic health” and had been hospitalised for several weeks last year.
Alongside touching photos, including them on Mrs Hinch’s wedding day, she wrote: “My life, our whole world, has been turned upside down.
“My loving Dad, Our boys beloved Grandad, Your workshop is locked up and I sleep with the key. I promise to keep your workshop dream going.
“Until we meet and sing together again. Goodnight Dad. My absolute king. Your Bubberloo.”
Condolences have poured in from fans and celebrity pals including Geordie Shore’s star Vicky Pattison, Love Island’s Faye Winter and footballer Ashley Cain.
The tragic news follows a hellish year of family health battles and difficulties for the ‘cleanfluencer’, who has bravely opened up about many of her “personal life stumbles” to her 4.8million Instagram followers.
Among the worst was when her son Ronnie’s health plummeted last June.
Taking to Instagram, she posted two photos of her “brave, darling boy” and wrote: “We have spent the past 10 days living what’s felt like a real-life nightmare.
“Ron’s temp spiked 40 at home, I phoned an ambulance. Ron was admitted and IV antibiotics started but NOTHING was working, in fact Ronnie deteriorated.”
Mrs Hinch praised the “incredible doctors and nurses” at three hospitals including Great Ormond Street, who carried out “every blood test and scan you can imagine”.
During an agonising wait for answers, she described pacing around rooms and corridors “for days” hoping her son – then three – would be ok.
“Seeing Ron this way kicked me with a fear and desperation I’ve never felt in my whole life. What is happening to our son! Please tell me!” she recalled.
Two days later, Ronnie was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease – a life-threatening condition that affects eight out of every 100,000 children in the UK each year.
It causes blood vessels in the body to become inflamed and can lead to heart complications that prove fatal in around three per cent of cases.
Kawasaki disease has to be treated in hospital where intravenous immunoglobin (IVIG), which is a solution of antibodies, and aspirin are used.
Sharing a snap of Ronnie with a blue cuddly toy, which lit up, Mrs Hinch shared her relief that he was getting better and soon to be discharged.
But she also admitted it had taken its toll, writing: “This past week has shaken our whole world as a family. I’ve never felt a fear like it.”
By July, Mrs Hinch revealed Ronnie was given the “all clear” after having a heart scan thanks to the disease being “caught and treated quick enough”.
‘Personal life stumbles’
Months earlier in April, Mrs Hinch had opened up about the “personal life stumbles” that led her to take a break from social media.
It was a big moment for the mum-of-two, from Basildon, Essex, who has carved out a massive fortune from cleaning hacks since launching her page in 2018.
She went from working as a hairdresser to a ‘cleanfluencer’ who could make more than £25,000 per sponsored post and was estimated to have earned nearly £3million last year alone.
Through tears, Mrs Hinch explained that both her father and grandmother were in hospital and she had been battling to get ‘assessments’ for her son Ronnie.
I’ve walked, I’ve talked, I’ve cried, I’ve written things down but it’s not helped me
Mrs Hinch
Speaking about father Alan, she said: “My dad has never been blessed shall we say with fantastic health – from his chest, his lungs, his heart. He’s always struggled you know.”
She praised the “incredible” nurses who kept her dad in “very, very safe hands” and said she hoped he would be home soon.
“So I’m hoping dad… can really enjoy doing what he loves doing again. I just want him to be happy,” Mrs Hinch said.
Her father Alan had recently retired and she had fulfilled his childhood dream of having his own workshop, which had been installed at Mrs Hinch’s home.
Mrs Hinch revealed her grandmother was in hospital too, writing: “Guys, bless her heart, she’s had a fall.
“I know for a fact with my nan this affects her quite a lot mentally. The thought of having a fall. When you get older you worry more.
She added: “Having loved ones in hospital is just not nice. It’s just a worry, it’s just something that you never want.”
It followed a post days earlier where she said she “really needed to get up and just get away” in an explanation for the “radio silence” on her social media feed.
Mrs Hinch apologised for “not being on Instagram as often” and admitted she did “really miss” posting and talking to fans.
She said: “I’m just going through a few personal life ‘stumbles’ right now and have been for the last three months.
“But all is ok and we’re getting there. Have a beautiful weekend everyone.”
Mrs Hinch's career in numbers
SHE'S the 'Queen of Clean' with scores of fans online - here we breakdown Mrs Hinch's career in numbers.
4.8million – the current number of Instagram followers her account MrsHinchHome has.
£7million – the amount of money she’s reportedly made in the three years from best-selling books, TV work, promotions and her homeware range in Tesco.
£25,000 – the fee Mrs Hinch can reportedly charge per sponsored post on social media.
2021 – the year she was named the UK’s highest-paid ‘homefluencer’ or ‘cleanfluencer’ by GoCompare.
160,000 – copies of first book Hinch Yourself Happy sold in the first three days of it being released in April 2019. It went on to become the second-fastest selling non-fiction title.
Five – the number of books Mrs Hinch has released so far – including children’s book Welcome To Hinch Farm and memoir This Is Me.
16 pence – the cost of one of her cheapest cleaning hacks, a baking liner that means users don’t have to clean their air fryers after every use.
Shock diagnoses
Back in April 2023, Mrs Hinch also spoke about her son Ronnie’s speech development issues and said there had been several assessments and tests.
“Jamie [her husband] and I have been going through a few different assessments, a few different processes with our Ron at the moment,” she explained.
“As parents, we are going through… we’re just navigating our way through things at the moment ourselves.”
Mrs Hinch remained tightlipped about what had happened until December when she announced both she and Ronnie had been diagnosed with autism.
In a post, she said they “had confirmation for a while” but had decided to “take our time to process, to learn, to grow and to find our way together” before sharing it.
Mrs Hinch wrote: “We have hard days but we also have lots of magical days. And if only everyone accepted and understood autism, the world really would be a much better place.”
She thanked her son for “being so precious and simply incredible” and admitted searching for answers to explain his difficulties had helped her too.
“Because of you everything finally made sense to me after 33 years,” Mrs Hinch wrote.
“You are my absolute inspiration in life. I love you Ron … Mummy is right here with you, in this together, forever xxx.”
This past week has shaken our whole world as a family. I’ve never felt a fear like it
Mrs Hinch
The brave post received thousands of likes online and messages of support including from pal Stacey Solomon, who posted two heart emojis and wrote: “Love you both.”
Mrs Hinch’s husband Jamie also wrote that he was “so unbelievably proud” of his other half.
Anxiety struggle
With so much going on, it’s no wonder Mrs Hinch revealed she was struggling with her mental health last year.
In May – one month after her father and grandmother were hospitalised – she opened up about her anxiety and shared a powerful quote about seizing the day.
The saying urged people to do things they were “scared to do” and “live your f***ing life” before it’s too late.
Mrs Hinch explained that the quote struck a nerve because she had been battling “the worst day (anxiety wise)” she had faced “in well over a year”.
“I’ve walked, I’ve talked, I’ve cried, I’ve written things down but it’s not helped me today,” Mrs Hinch continued.
“And now I’ve got the b****y stomach shivers as I call them. So I’m going to bed now and then hopefully I’ll wake up new and fresh tomorrow.”
She first opened up about her mental health battle in 2018, revealing she was “a worrier” and continued to “struggle with anxiety”.
“For me, to keep my mind off of what was worrying me would be to clean and organise something and love the end result,” she wrote.
“It took my mind off worrying. It helps me control my panic attacks too.”
Feared losing leg
Alongside her mental health battle, Mrs Hinch also has a blood clotting disorder that causes extensive bruising to appear on her skin.
In 2022, she shared a photo of the multiple dark marks on her legs that she said would appear from the gentlest taps on any part of her body.
“I’m covered in them all the time basically…” Mrs Hinch said. “This is why I wear winter clothes in the summer guys. I get so worried about going out when it’s sunny.”
To combat the thrombotic blood clotting disorder, she has taken blood thinners for several years.
Mrs Hinch explained that it was caused by having a Protein S deficiency, which increases the risk of abnormal blood clots forming and deep vein thrombosis.
She also inherited Factor V Leiden – a mutation that increases the likelihood of developing abnormal blood clots – which contributed to the bruising too.
In her book Hinch Yourself Happy, the influencer revealed she was forced to miss her honeymoon in 2018 due to the condition.
It followed her leg swelling up to the point that she couldn’t stand and struggled to walk. She had to undergo two operations before she recovered.
“I was so scared I was going to lose my leg,” Mrs Hinch wrote. “I am now on blood thinners for life but I was so lucky with the brilliant treatment I received and I feel incredibly blessed.”