Dermot O’Leary posts emotional tribute to his cat on Instagram

Very sad.

Dermot O'Leary has taken to Instagram to share a heartfelt, lengthy post about his cat who recently died. Dermot explained that their cat suffered from a heart condition and died at the age of 4. The love between a pet and an owner is hard to comprehend, but Dermot says that this loss has left a 'massive heart shaped hole' in their lives. He pays tribute to their special bond and just how much the cat meant to them in this post. It read:

"Had to finally say goodbye to our little Italian boy Silver today. He bravely fought on for 7 months against a horrible heart condition (originally given days to live back in December.) One tough little Puglia paisano cat! No words can begin to describe what a massive heart shaped hole he leaves in our lives. He made our house a home, made us better people, and won the hearts of all that met him. He gave & received unconditional love, and was genuinely the most dog like cat we've ever met. He was only 4. And in our minds, that means he's joined the 27 club- in cat years. He lived up to the mantra... live fast and die young. As heartbroken as we are, we are so grateful for the stray kitten which came into our lives. From the moment he came into the world in an olive grove in Puglia, (Dee actually helped deliver him, in a deft piece of cat midwifery) to his last breath holding onto his mama- he was a wonderful friend, companion & cuddle giver, and you couldn't have wished for a more human like cat. Smart, funny, intuitive, with a model looks & a killer blue steel. Born, raised and went to sleep in his mama's arms. You couldn't have wished for a more dignified & serene passing. Rest easy little prince, we miss you terribly. Snooze & play on the laps of those who we followed, and know we'll be rubbing that brilliant white belly, and massaging those beautiful pink paws, further on up the road. Special thanks to Fran, Kate, Chantelle & all at 'The Village Vets' who kept that engine going for as long as they could. But some hearts are just too big to be here too long."

Had to finally say goodbye to our little Italian boy Silver today. He bravely fought on for 7 months against a horrible heart condition (originally given days to live back in December.) One tough little Puglia paisano cat! No words can begin to describe what a massive heart shaped hole he leaves in our lives. He made our house a home, made us better people, and won the hearts of all that met him. He gave & received unconditional love, and was genuinely the most dog like cat we've ever met. He was only 4. And in our minds, that means he's joined the 27 club- in cat years. He lived up to the mantra... live fast and die young. As heartbroken as we are, we are so grateful for the stray kitten which came into our lives. From the moment he came into the world in an olive grove in Puglia, (Dee actually helped deliver him, in a deft piece of cat midwifery) to his last breath holding onto his mama- he was a wonderful friend, companion & cuddle giver, and you couldn't have wished for a more human like cat. Smart, funny, intuitive, with a model looks & a killer blue steel. Born, raised and went to sleep in his mama's arms. You couldn't have wished for a more dignified & serene passing. Rest easy little prince, we miss you terribly. Snooze & play on the laps of those who we followed, and know we'll be rubbing that brilliant white belly, and massaging those beautiful pink paws, further on up the road. Special thanks to Fran, @franowen9271 Kate, @katehsheard Chantelle & all at 'The Village Vets' who kept that engine going for as long as they could. But some hearts are just too big to be here too long. Love you forever little man, Your Mama, Papa & sister Toto xxx

A post shared by Dermot O'Leary (@radioleary) on Jul 24, 2017 at 11:08am PDT