Dundee idol Eilish McColgan has told of her “huge loss” after the sudden death of her stepfather John Nuttall.
John’s death was announced by his wife and Eilish’s mum – running legend Liz – on Friday morning.
In a post on Instagram, Liz confirmed the former runner had died after a sudden heart attack, aged 56, on Thursday.
Commonwealth Games gold medallist Eilish has since paid tribute to her late stepfather.
Eilish McColgan says death of John Nuttall ‘a huge shock’
In a post on Facebook, she said: “It’s hard to find the words right now.
“Our family suffered a huge loss yesterday with the sudden passing of my stepfather John.
“We’ve spent the last six weeks here in Doha, with my mum and John, and so his passing has been a huge shock.
“We are still trying to process it.
“Me and (partner) Michael (Rimmer) are doing everything we can to support my mum and ensure we bring John back home to his loved ones in Preston.
“There is such a huge outpouring of love from both Doha and everyone back home in the UK.
“It just reinforces how many people thought so highly of him. He will be missed by us all.”
John became Eilish’s stepfather when he married Liz in January 2014.
Eilish has followed in her mother’s footsteps, becoming a successful long-distance runner.
The 32-year-old won gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham – breaking Liz’s Scottish record over 10,000m on the way.
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