Yazmin Oukhellou and TOWIE stars remember Jake McLean on day of funeral

The Only Way Is Essex star Yazmin Oukhellou has paid tribute to Jake McLean on the day of his funeral.

McLean, 33, was killed in a car crash in the port city of Bodrum, Turkey in July, which left Oukhellou seriously injured.

His funeral took place at St Thomas of Canterbury church in Grays, Essex on Wednesday 16 August, attended by many of the TOWIE cast.

Oukhellou, 28, spoke publicly for the first time since the collision, writing on Instagram: "I have been taking some time away from social media to fully focus on my mental and physical recovery. I needed this time away to work on healing and processing everything as best as I can.

Read more: TOWIE's Georgia Harrison reveals she was dating Jake McLean when he died

"This has taught me that life is so short and we must cherish our loved ones as much as possible.

"I am so grateful for our memories and the special time that Jake and I shared. I’ve not stopped thinking about him and I’ll miss him always. He will forever hold a special place in my heart.

"I want to thank everyone for their support and lovely messages. I truly appreciate each and every single one of you."

Oukhellou confirmed she was dating McLean in December 2021 with pictures of a romantic date night shared on her social media.

But in January 2022 she announced they had split.

TOWIE's Lauren Goodger, 35, dated McLean between 2012 and 2016.

Goodger - who suffered the loss of her newborn baby last month - was among the mourners at the funeral, along with Liam 'Gatsby' Blackwell and James 'Arg' Argent.

She posted: "R.i.p Jake you always be apart of me … we shared something for 5 years solid like no other look after Lorena for me my angel baby [sic]"

The reality star announced on social media last month that her second daughter Lorena had died just two days after she was born.

Following McLean's death reality star Georgia Harrison revealed she had been dating him.

The 27-year-old — who has appeared on The Only Way Is Essex and Love Island — also posted a tributes on her Instagram stories to McLean, sharing photos and images of herself sitting on his lap.

Read more: Reality stars offer Lauren Goodger support as she mourns death of newborn baby

She wrote: "RiP. You left a special mark on this earth."

Watch: Yazmin Oukhellou broke her own arm to escape the crash that killed Jake McLean